The Wedding Bouquet
by ladypatpatriot
Summary: Takes place immediately after Elizabeth catches the bouquet. I plan on continuing the story through their wedding and beyond. This is my first ever fan fiction. Opinions greatly received. I do not own When Calls the Heart or its characters.
1. Chapter 1

The Wedding Bouquet

Set immediately after the season 3 finale, after Elizabeth catches the bouquet.

Chapter 1

Proposal

Jack laughed to himself as Elizabeth caught the bouquet at Rosemary's wedding. He reached down to his pocket to make sure he still had the engagement ring. After what happened with the land slide, him almost dying from pneumonia and learning that Elizabeth refused to leave his bedside when he was sick, he decided he didn't want to wait any longer to ask her to marry him. "Life is too short" he thought to himself. He decided he wanted to propose after Lee and Rosemary's wedding. Now that Elizabeth had caught the bouquet, he wondered briefly if it might seem silly propose now, like he believed in the tradition that the woman who catches the bouquet is the next bride. Then he remembered the original reason he wanted to propose tonight and decided to go ahead with his plans. He was certain she would say yes (or at least he hoped she would) and he really did not want to wait any longer.

Jack waited until after the bride and groom cut the cake before approaching Elizabeth to see if she wanted to take a walk with him.

"Jack, I would love to take a walk with you, Jack." She replied with the bright smile that he loved so much. He held out his arm for her and she placed her hand in the crock of his elbow. They walked down to the pond and sat down on a bench. The moon light shimmied on the pond, cast a light glow on her face. "Elizabeth is so beautiful." He thought, as he tried to calm his nerves by taking a few deep breaths.

Elizabeth hears him breathing and turns to him with a worried expression on her face. "Jack, is everything okay? You sound like you are having trouble breathing. Do you think the pneumonia is coming back?" She puts her hand on his forehead to see if he has a fever. She released her own deep breath when she felt his forehead was cool to the touch.

"No, I feel fine. I want to talk to you about something and I am a little nervous,"

"No need to feel nervous, Jack. You know you can talk to me about anything. "

Jack takes one last big breath. "Elizabeth, I have been doing a lot of thinking since the land slide and me getting sick. About the future, our future. When I watched the (miner's) last few minutes of life and heard him talk about how much he loved his wife and son, it really got to me. Then I got sick and found out that you never left my side the whole time, I knew it was time. I realized how short life is and I didn't want to waste any more time without telling you how I feel." He stood up from the bench, pulled the ring out of his pocket and dropped to one knee. Elizabeth gasped and brought her hands to her mouth as she realized what he was about to do.

"Elizabeth Thatcher," he looked up at her face and saw tears forming in her eyes. He felt tears in his own forming. "I love you more than I ever thought possible. You are my only one. When I do think of the future, I see you in my life, you and a family." He paused and took her left hand. He kissed it before he continued. "Elizabeth, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"

Elizabeth opened her mouth to try and answer him but nothing came out. All she could do was nod her head yes before her voice returned. "Yes, Jack, oh yes. I would love to become your wife and have you as my husband. I love you so, much!"

Jack expelled a breath he didn't realize his was holding before he took the ring out of the box. He slipped it on her finger and then kissed it, this important symbol of his love for her. He reached up and wiped the tears of joy from her face and she did the same. He then stood, still holding her hand and lifted her up from the bench. He walked her a few feet away from the bench before he picked her up and twirled her around, expressing his happiness.

"Elizabeth, you have made me the happiest man in the world. " As put her down and bent to kiss her, passionately.

Elizabeth laughed. "Well I think Lee has that title tonight. Maybe we should keep our news to ourselves tonight. I don't want to upstage Rosemary at her own wedding."

"You may be right. I wanted to rush back to the café to tell everyone but we both know Rosemary. While she will be happy for us, she would never forgive us for stealing her moment. "

"Jack, how about we do this? I will give you back the ring, for now" she said as she saw Jack start to protest. "We will go back to the café and see if Rosemary and Lee are still there. Once they leave for their honeymoon, you give me back the ring and we make the announcement to whoever is still there. The rest will have to hear it on their own this week. We know Abigail and Frank will still be there, and your mother. "

"That is a good plan, Elizabeth. I can handle you not wearing the ring for a short time. Just don't give it back for good." He teased.

"Not a change. I love this pretty ring. It is just what I wanted." She gazed at the ring. Jack had purchased at sapphire ring, which had a small stone with tiny diamonds around it. "Jack, I have always wanted a sapphire engagement ring and I love small settings. I think larger settings are too gaudy."

A big smile spread on Jack's face. He was a little afraid that she would have wanted something larger but to see her so pleased with the ring he selected made him feel warm inside. "God, I love this woman" he thought. He leaned over to give her a kiss. "Well, I guess we should go back. They must be wondering where we are by now."

"Yes I supposed we should." Elizabeth replied. "But for the record I would love to stay here a little longer."

"Me too. We can always come back after the party breaks up. Or we could have a picnic here tomorrow after church. We could talk about what we want for the house and maybe discuss some plans for our wedding."

"I would love that, Jack." She said as Jack held his arm out for her again. "I hope this isn't too forward of me, but I am not one for long engagements. I agree with you that life is too short. Would you have a problem with living in the row house until our home is ready? Then we could get married sooner." She looked at him expectantly. She knew he was a proud man and he may want to have their home built first.

Jack stopped and looked at her. He smiled before he said "No it's not too forward of you. I am not one for long engagements either. I have no problem living in the row house with you for the first few months of our lives. You bought that house with the money that you earned teaching. Once we get married we will share our wages for things we need for our home." He kissed her again. "Why don't we both think about wedding dates tonight and we can discuss them tomorrow?"

"That sounds perfect, Jack. I love you!" She said as they walked up to the café.

"I love you too, so much." He kissed her one last time, then pulled the ring off her finger, safely putting it in its box.


	2. Breaking the News

Jack opened the door and they both walked back in to the café. Lee and Rosemary were still there but it looked like the party was breaking up.

"Jack, Elizabeth, where have you been? We have been waiting for you so we could say goodbye." Rosemary cried. Then she took a look at the both of them. She could tell something was up with them. They both shared the same sparkle in their eyes. "Jack, did you ask Elizabeth to marry you?" She asked.

Jack and Elizabeth stared at each other for a moment. Jack tilted his head at Elizabeth in silent question if they should tell the news. She nodded yes.

"Everyone," Jack called. People moved toward him. "Rosemary, we should have known we couldn't keep this a secret from you. We didn't want to upstage you at your own wedding."

"Come on, Jack. " Rosemary said. "Tell us what is going on"

Jack took the ring box out of his pocket and pulled the ring out. He took Elizabeth's left hand. "Yes, I did ask this beautiful woman to marry me." He paused and pushed the ring onto her finger. "She said yes".

The café broke out is cheers. Charlotte came running over to hug her son and future daughter-in-law. "I am so happy for you, son. For both of you."

Abigail was next. She hugged Elizabeth, whispering in her ear how happy she was for her. Then she turned to Jack and said "it's about time. We all knew this day would happen sooner or later."

Frank was next. "Congratulations, Jack and Elizabeth." He gave Elizabeth a quick kiss on the check and shook Jack's hand.

"Frank would you perform our marriage ceremony for us" Jack asked.

"Of course. I would be honored."

Other guests came forward to offer congratulations. Last, Rosemary and Lee came forward. "I am so happy for you both." Rosemary said as she surprised Elizabeth with a hug."

"So am I." Lee concurred as he shook Jack's hand and gave him a slap on the back.

"Maybe someday in the not so distant future we will have children the same age who will grow up as best friends." Rosemary said with a dreamy look on her face. "Baby Coulter and Baby Thornton"

Elizabeth blushed a little before responding to Rosemary. "That would be nice but let's let God make those decisions for us."

"Of course" Rosemary replied. "Now, everyone, Lee and I are saying our good nights. We have a honeymoon to get to." Lee blushed. Everyone laughed and said good night.


	3. Picnic and Plans

After church the next day, Jack walked Elizabeth back to café to grab the picnic lunch she packed up earlier. He took the basket while she grabbed a blanket from her room. They walked to the pond and set up lunch right near the bench where Jack had proposed last night. They sat down and started eating the delicious lunch fried chicken and potato salad. After they finished, Jack moved closer to Elizabeth and put his arm around her. He kissed her, a more passionate kiss than he had ever given her before. She let out a little moan which caused him to deepen the kiss.

When they separated, Jack looked into her sparkling blue eyes. "Were you able to think about plans for our wedding? I was almost too excited to think about it, but I did."

"I have." Elizabeth replied. "I checked my calendar and realized there are only 7 weeks left of the school year. So I was thinking maybe we should get married 8 weeks from now. That would give us enough time to plan. Also, Clara offered to make me a dress so she needs some time to work on it. I want a small intimate wedding, so I don't need lots of time to plan." She paused and looked at his face. He looked like he was in agreement with her plans, so she decided to add something else to her wish list. "If we have the wedding in 8 weeks, we can go on a honeymoon right away instead of waiting until the school year is over or getting a substitute. That is, if you want to go anywhere. We could stay here I suppose."

"I like your plans, Elizabeth, including the idea about going someplace on our honeymoon." He leaned over to give her another passionate kiss. "8 weeks gives me time to contact headquarters to request the time off. I may be able to get a good start on our home. I am going to see Adam Miller tomorrow to find out if he can help with the plans and with the building." He paused and a look of worry came upon his face. "Elizabeth, I have to ask, what is your family going to have to say about us getting married? We both know how they feel about us, well me."

Elizabeth took his hand in hers, brought it to her lips. "Jack, I have done a lot of thinking about my parents over the last few months. I will send them a telegram tomorrow to tell them about our plans. I won't let them talk me out of it. If they want to disown me then I am prepared for that. I haven't been using the money Father sent me. Everything I buy I use my own money for. That will continue after we marry."

Jack was shocked. He never expected her to choose him over her family He thought she would try to get her parents to see reason. He never expected her to say that if her parents can't accept them as a couple then she would have to cut ties. . "Are you sure you want to do that? They are your family."

"Yes, Jack, I am sure. They are my family and I love them but I love you with all my heart. You will be my family too, after the wedding. If I had to say goodbye to you because my family doesn't feel you are an appropriate husband for me, I would die without you. My parents have to realize that I am a grown woman who makes her own decisions. My life is here in Hope Valley now, and with you. You are the best man I have ever known. I know you love me with all your heart and would do anything in your power to keep me safe and happy. I couldn't ask for a better husband than that." She put her hands on the sides of his face and brought him closer for kiss.

Jack's heart soared as he let her words sink in. He was so happy and so much in love with her. He put one hand behind her neck to pull her back for another kiss. "Elizabeth, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me." He gazed into her eyes. "So its settled then? 8 weeks from now we become husband and wife?"

"Yes. I can't wait until I am Mrs. Jack Thornton." She smiled broadly at him

"I can't wait either." He kissed her again. "Elizabeth, how many children would you like to have someday? I would like 2. I couldn't imagine having just one child. While Tom may have bothered me from time to time when we grew up, I could never imagine what it would have been like without him.

"I feel the same way, Jack. I would like 2 children as well, but we should leave that to God's hand. God would never let us handle more than we could chew."

"Of course." He kissed her again (he couldn't get enough kisses from her since she agreed to be his wife. "I guess we should pack up and head back to town. I have some paperwork to take care of. I could spend the rest of the day with you and then meet you for dinner, or I could get it done now and we could eat dinner and sit out on our swing after."

"I supposed you are right. Sitting on the swing after dinner sounds good to me. While you are working I can go send the telegram to my parents." She began to pack up the remains of their lunch. Jack helped her up and then folded the blanket. They walked back to town, arm in arm.

As they began walking back to town, Jack realized they forgot to talk about their house, "We were going to discuss our wish list for our home. Maybe we should talk about that tonight. It will help out when I talk to Adam tomorrow."

Elizabeth looked over at him and grinned. "I would love to". By that time, they had reached the café. Elizabeth was going to drop off the picnic basket and then head to the mercantile to send her telegram. She stood on her toes to kiss him. "I will see you later, my love"

"I love you, Sweetheart." Jack said as he returned her kiss.


	4. Discoveries

_In the last chapter, I took a guess about when Rosemary and Lee's wedding was. I figured the land slide happened in the late winter or early spring (snow melting along with the rain) and since they said the wedding was a few weeks after Jack recovered, so I took a guess it was in April. This chapter is going to be a fluff one. I wanted to give Elizabeth a talent she would be good at since she isn't a good cook._

Jack returned to the café at 6 to find Elizabeth sitting on what they had begun to call "their swing", writing in her journal. She looked up as she heard him climb the stairs. "Hello, Jack" she exclaimed with a smile on her face.

Jack sat down next to her and leaned over to give her a quick kiss. "Hello, Sweetheart. I missed you this afternoon. I had a little trouble concentrating on my paperwork because all I wanted to do was spend time with you. I had to get myself to buckle down so I would be able to spend some time with you tonight. What have you been up to? Did you get your telegram sent?

"Yes I did. I told them about our engagement and wedding date and said we would love for them to come here for the wedding. It's in their hands now if they decided to come either for the wedding or to try to talk me out of it." She paused before continuing. "I don't want to talk about them anymore. After I got back to here, I decided to work on a table cloth I have been making but haven't been able to find the time to work on. Now that we are getting married and will have a home of our own, I decided I'd better get it in gear and work on it" She pointed to the basket next to her. "I brought it out here to work on. Do you want to see it?

Jack nodded his head in agreement. He wasn't sure what to expect. It was common knowledge that Elizabeth was not that talented in house hold chores and cooking. He couldn't help but wonder if the table cloth would be a disaster. He watched her as she pulled out a small piece of cloth and handed it to him.

"This is the matching napkin I made to go with the table cloth." She looked at him expectantly, waiting for a response. She hoped he would like it. Even though she wasn't a good cook, she felt her homey talents lay with needle work and knitting. Since coming to Hope Valley, she hadn't had much time to work on her crafts but she had made up her mind to start putting aside at least 30 minutes a day for her projects.

Jack took the cloth and looked down at it. It had a beautiful design of leaves in falls colors. Vibrant reds, oranges and yellows. He liked what he saw and gave a smile to Elizabeth. "You made this?" He asked before he continued. "It's beautiful."

Elizabeth smiled at his compliment. "Yes I did. I drew the design and had a friend back in Hamilton make a print on 8 napkins and the table cloth. Then I picked out embroidery floss in bright, autumn colors. I love the autumn." She reached into her basket and pulled out the matching table cloth. She opened it up in front of her and laid it out on both her lap and Jack's. The table cloth had a circle of leaves going around it. Only about a quarter of it was completed.

Again, Jack liked what he saw. His face light up as he examined her work. "Elizabeth, this is great. I love that you picked autumn leaves as the design." His mind went back to something she had said earlier. "Did you say you drew the design for this?

Elizabeth laughed a little then reached one more time into her basket. She pulled out a sketch pad much like the ones he had. "I am not the artist you are but I can manage to get my ideas across. Would you like to look at the sketches I have made? Maybe you could fix them up a little and then I can have the design stamped on another table cloth for us."

"I would love to look." He took the pad from her and opened it up. The leaf design was the first one in the book. It didn't look exactly like what was on the table cloth but it was good. It just needed some refinements. The next page was of interlocking roses. Another page was of fruit. He turned another page to discover interlocking poinsettias for a holiday table. All of them were good. "These are really good, Elizabeth." He said and he meant it.

Elizabeth looked at him strangely. "Come on Jack. You can say it and I won't get offended. You are clearly the better sketcher than I am. I was hoping you would take these drawings and fix them up for me. I thought maybe you could do the Christmas one first. I know we are a long way off from it, but if you could get something down on paper now, I can have the cloths back in enough time to work on it, even at the snail pace I work at now that I am teaching."

"I would be happy to help out. But may I make a suggestion for the Christmas cloth?" She nodded. "We should add some mistletoe and pinecones, maybe even a wreath for the center."

Her face light up excitedly. "That's a great idea. Do you think it would be too much to add a couple of Christmas trees?

"I don't know. How about I draw a couple of different holiday sketches and we can decide together which one we like. Or if you like we could do the Christmas trees on the matching napkins. Do you mind if I borrow you pad while I work on some ideas?

"Be my guest, Jack. Oh my. This is so much fun. Even something as small as a tablecloth has become a joint project for us. I like it!"

"I do too." He said as he leaned over to kiss her again. "I brought my pad over so we could talk about plans for our house. What do you say we go have some dinner and talk things over?" He stood and held out his hand to help her up.

"Why, thank you Jack. I would love to have dinner with you and talk about our future." Together they walked inside the café.


	5. More Plans For the Future

The next morning Elizabeth woke with a smile on her face. She had been dreaming about telling Jack she was having a baby. In her dream he was so excited, then he started to become overprotective of her, not letting her do anything to serve the celebration meal she had prepared. Elizabeth sighed at the memory. She knew Jack would be just like he was in her dream. She then shook her head and told herself it was too soon to be thinking about babies.

She got up and started to get dressed, thinking about the things they had talked about last night. She had told Jack she would like a house with a big living room with a fire place, a wrap- around porch where they could place a swing and a couple of rocking chairs. Jack wanted to have 3 bedrooms built with room to add on if need be. He also wanted Elizabeth to have a library; he knew her love of books and decided she needed a sanctuary, a place where she could also do her school work. She insisted that Jack have a desk in the library too or that they splurge on one of those big desks that two people can use. The house was coming together nicely and Jack had yet to purchase land and wood. Jack was going to see Adam Miller after his morning rounds.

The school day flew by. Cassandra had noticed the ring on Elizabeth's finger. Cheers erupted in the school house when Elizabeth confirmed that she was engaged to Mountie Jack. It took a while to get the children to calm down and start their lessons but Elizabeth didn't blame them. She had been having a hard time concentrating since the proposal too. At the end of the day, she waited a few minutes to see if Jack would stop by to walk her home. He never showed but that wasn't uncommon. He would stop by for dinner or let someone know if he was working on a case.

When she walked back into town, Mr. Yost came running towards her calling her name. "Miss Thatcher, I have a telegram for you." He handed the piece of paper to her.

"Thanks, Mr. Yost." Looking down at the telegram, she thought to herself "This can't be good if I am getting a response already." She walked up to the swing, put her basket down and opened the telegram.

" _Dear Beth,_

 _Your mother and I were shocked to get your news about your engagement. We fear that you and Jack may think we would be unhappy. We have done a lot of thinking and talking since the two of you visited. Your mother could see how much you love Jack and he loves. She pointed out that you having a Mountie husband out in Hope Valley was good; Jack would protect you with his life._

 _We couldn't be happier with your news. We look forward to seeing you walk down the aisle in 8 weeks. A letter will follow with are travel arrangements. Your mother wants to know if there is anything she can do to help with your plans. I would also like to help in whatever way you would like. Maybe you could use some help in furnishing your home. I would be happy to give you a check to make purchases._

 _See you soon,_

 _Love,_

 _Father_

Elizabeth was crying as she read the telegram. She couldn't believe her parents had recognized her love for Jack and his for her. The only part of the message that troubled her was the mention of the check. She and Jack had agreed to use their money that they had saved to furnish their home. However her father said he wanted to help in whatever way they wanted. She would talk to Jack and get his opinion. She stood up from the swing to head inside to get started on grading papers when she heard a familiar voice call her from behind.

"Hello, Sweetheart. How has your day been?" Jack inquired as he dismounted from his horse and walked up to kiss her. "I missed you today." He said after the kiss. Then he noticed her tear stained checks. "Elizabeth is something wrong?" He asked, concerned.

"No nothing is wrong Jack. Everything is wonderful." She gave him another kiss then urged him to sit down on the swing. "I got a reply from my parents." She handed him the telegram and waited while he read it. A big smile broke out on his handsome face.

"Elizabeth, I can't believe it. They are really accepting me as their future son-in-law." He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tightly.

"Jack, what do you want to do about Father's mention of a gift?" She was a little scared of his answer. "I don't know that I want to accept a check. Knowing my father, it will be for a huge amount and I don't think I want that. I meant what I said about using our salaries to live on." She looked at him with a worried expression.

Jack took a deep breath before answering her. "I am not sure, Elizabeth. I figured the check would be for a large amount. It would however be a wedding gift from your parents. It would be wrong to turn away a gift. I mean we could ask him to purchase furniture for us but we could to that ourselves with the gift money. If you have any other ideas I would love to hear them."

Elizabeth let out a big breath. "I was thinking the same thing, Jack. Either having them buy us some furniture or using the money to purchase the furniture ourselves. That way we get to pick out what we like."

"Then it's agreed we will accept the check as a wedding gift." He kissed her again. "Do you want to go for a walk before dinner? Or do you have some work to do before school tomorrow?"

"Well I do have papers to grade, but they are essays I collected today. They can wait. I would love to take a walk with you."

"Great, because I think I may have found the perfect piece of land for us to build our home and raise our family. Before I purchase it, I want your opinion." His eyes showed his excitement and he offered her his arm.

 _More plans coming up!_


	6. More Plans part 2

Jack led Elizabeth down the road out of town and towards the school house. He continued through the grove of trees to a section of land that had a view of the mountains and another pond. Jack stopped and said "What do you think? Isn't it beautiful?"

"Jack," she whispered. "This is breathtaking." She looked towards the sky; it was painted in the colors of a sunset.

"I was thinking that we could put the swing on the side of the house that faces the mountains. I can imagine us sitting out here watching the sun set, just like it is now. We can put the rocking chairs on the side that faces the pond and watch the ducks and geese play. That pond is supposed to be stocked full of fish. I would love to catch our dinner and cook it for you, then maybe have a picnic there."

"That sounds heavenly, Jack. I can almost see us there right now." She thought about it for another moment, then turned to Jack to kiss him. "How did your meeting with Adam go?"

"It went well. He loved our ideas for the house and he said he could start working on it as soon as I buy the land. I stopped to talk to Mr. Gordon, the man who owns the property. The price he offered is more than fair and he agreed to wait until I had a chance to talk to you before making the final deal. I told him I would be back tomorrow with an answer."

"Jack, go find Mr. Gordon first thing tomorrow and tell him it's a deal. I love this piece of land. I have a picture of our home in my mind already." She kissed him. "I love you, Jack."

Jack put his arms on her waist and replied. "I love you too, Sweetheart." He felt her shiver a little. "Are you cold?"

"Yes, a little. I should have brought my shawl. I was just too excited about the telegram from my father and coming to look at this land that I didn't think to go get it."

Jack removed his jacket and gently placed it over her shoulders. He took her hand and said, "Let's walk back to the café and have dinner. We can tell Abigail and my mother our news and maybe discuss our wedding plans again.

Elizabeth leaned up to give him a quick peck on the cheek. "I would love to have dinner with you, Constable and discuss our future."

A short time later they arrived back at the café and walked through the back door towards the kitchen. Abigail loved to have them eat at her table and it would give them a chance to talk about plans for the wedding. Charlotte was sitting at the table when they got there.

"Where have you two been this afternoon?" Abigail asked. "You look like you have something big to tell us.

"Yes, Jack, Elizabeth." Charlotte concurred. What's going on?"

"Jack took me out to the property he wants to buy for our home. Oh, Abigail, it was so beautiful. It has a view of the mountains to the west and we can watch the sunset. It was so beautiful." Elizabeth continued to tell Abigail and Charlotte about the land and Jack told her where it was located. "I will take you both there to see it when you have a chance." Elizabeth promised.

"I would love to see it. Do you want some dinner?" Abigail inquired, although she already had the answer. "I have beef stew and roast chicken tonight."

"Yum, beef stew" Jack liked his lips. Beef stew was one of his favorite meals.

"That sounds good. I will have the same." Elizabeth replied. "Abigail, how is the dinner crowd tonight. Jack and I would like to talk to you about some of the wedding ideas we have."

"Actually, the last time I checked there was no one in the dining room, so I can sit down with you right now."

"Great!" Elizabeth clapped her hands with excitement. She waited to talk until Abigail had placed their meals in front of them. "Jack and I have some ideas for the food at the reception but first, I wanted to ask you something. Would you be my matron of honor?

Abigail put a hand to her heart and felt a tear come to her eyes. She loved Elizabeth like a little sister and she couldn't be more honored that Elizabeth had ask her, but she felt she needed to clarify something first. She took Elizabeth's hand and squeezed it before responding. "Nothing would make me happier but don't you want to ask one of your sisters?"

Elizabeth took a breath. "Abigail, I want you. I have never been that close with Viola. I could never ask her to be my maid of honor. Julie, well, I think is a little too immature. Besides, no one in the family knows where she is. If she contacts me between now and the wedding I will ask her to be a bridesmaid." She paused, wondering if she say out loud what she was thinking. "Abigail, you are more of a sister to me than either of my own. You took me into your home when I was just a stranger to you and you made me feel like family. I have grown to love you and care for you as a sister in the time we have known each other. Please say you will be my matron of honor?

"Oh, Elizabeth" she said with a tears in her voice "I think of you as a sister too. I would love to be your matron of honor." She reached over and hugged Elizabeth.

"Thank you so much, Abigail. You have no idea how much this means to me." Elizabeth paused again. "But maybe you won't want to be matron of honor when we ask you to make the refreshment for the receptions. It might end up being too much work."

"Nonsense!" Abigail exclaimed. "Nothing I love better than cooking for a crowd. You tell me what you are thinking about, maybe give a couple of choices and I will tell you if I think it can be done."

Elizabeth and Jack looked at each other before she responded. "Well, we decided to have the reception in the saloon. There will be more room there than here is the café. We were thinking we would like to have roast chicken and of course, your biscuits. Would that work for you?"

"That does. I can make a potato side dish as well as a vegetable, whatever is available. Have you thought about a cake?"

Elizabeth nervously bit her lip. "We haven't gotten that far yet. I don't want you to have too much cooking and baking to do. I could ask Mother to have our cook make the cake and she bring it out to be assembled here."

"Elizabeth I have no problem making dinner and the cake for you. I can even ask Cat, Molly and Florence to help. Rosemary would too if you wanted. In fact, they all would help me with everything. It's definitely no problem for me to work on your entire menu and still be your matron of honor."

"I can help with the cake too." Charlotte said, surprising Elizabeth. Charlotte laughed a little before continuing. "Elizabeth, I am a much better baker than I am a cook. Jack, you tell her."

"It's true, Elizabeth. Her cakes are great" Jack said. "Would you be willing to take charge of our wedding cake, Ma?"

"Nothing would make me happier, Jack. I may ask the ladies for a little help because I have never made a cake for that many people but I am sure we can handle it.

Elizabeth smiled and replied "Thank you, Abigail and Charlotte. I really appreciate this, more than you both know."

"Then it's all settled. I will handle you're the dinner menu and Charlotte will handle the cake. I will talk to the other ladies about helping us." She got up and picked up their plates to go wash them

"Do you want any other desserts?" Charlotte inquired. "Think about some and let me know."

"Thanks, Ma." Jack leaned over to give her a kiss on her cheek. "Thanks for dinner, Abigail. Elizabeth and I are going to sit on the swing for a while." Jack took Elizabeth's hand and help her up, before walking to the back door.

They sat on the swing for a few minutes, enjoying each other's company. Then Elizabeth leaned over to kiss him. "I don't want to say good night yet, but I have to get to those papers I need to grade."

Jack stood up with her hand still in his and help her stand too. "I know what you mean; I have work to complete too, before going to bed." He lowered his lips down to hers and gave her a passionate kiss. "Hope that keeps you thinking of me until morning." He turned toward the door to let her in. "Sleep well, Sweetheart. I love you!"

"You too, My Love. I love you with all my heart." She closed the door behind her and walked up the stairs to her room.


	7. Haunted By Her Past

_A secret from Elizabeth's past is about to be revealed. How will Jack react?_

Three weeks had passed since Jack and Elizabeth got engaged. Plans for the wedding were progressing nicely. The only thing that Elizabeth didn't like at the moment was Jack had been called away on Mountie duty. He had been gone a week and she missed him terribly. She was learning to deal with it though. She had to if she was going to be a Mountie's wife. She hoped he would be returning soon.

She woke up around 9 am on what looked to be a beautiful spring Saturday morning. She was going to spend the day working on her craft projects. She was about half way done with her autumn leaves table cloth. She had also started knitting a blanket that she planned to place on the foot of their bed for extra warmth. She needed to go to the Mercantile to pick up some more yarn and was hoping there was a package for her. Jack had come up with a beautiful design for the holiday table cloth and it was due to be delivered soon along with the embroidery floss she ordered.

She quickly dressed, ate a quick breakfast of tea and one of Abigail's blueberry scones, then set out to go to the Mercantile. As she was walking she passed Bill at the jail house as he was putting up a wanted sign. "Good Morning, Bill." She said and walked up to the porch to talk to him. She wanted to ask him if he had heard anything from Jack. When he turned around to great her, she noticed the sign and gasped. The person wanted was Gregory Williams. She could feel her cheeks drain of their color and she started to shake. How could he be out of jail? She thought. She started looking around nervously as if she expected him to come right out and snatch her.

Bill looked at her, concerned after he heard the gasp and noticed her acting strangely. He gently took her arm and asked "Elizabeth, is everything all right? Do you know this man?"

Elizabeth didn't want to go into the whole story with Bill. She realized in that moment that she needed to tell Jack something from her past, a past she thought she would never have to deal with again, until now. She took a deep breath and spoke "No, Bill, I don't. At first glance he looked like someone I know." She hoped Bill would believe her lie. All she wanted to do was leave town and go hide in her in her bedroom.

Bill thought she wasn't telling him something but he decided to let it go for now. If there was more to her reaction she would tell him when she was ready. Unless she was waiting for Jack to come home and talk to him. "Ok, Elizabeth. Just making sure. Jack wants me to look out for his best girl while he is away."

"Thanks, Bill. I will see you later. Have a nice afternoon." She quickly step off the porch of the jail and hurried out of town, not even noticing that Abigail was calling her over to the café to talk.

Elizabeth quickly made her way home and locked the door behind her. She leaned against the door breathing hard. She tried to calm herself but she had so many thoughts running through her mind.

 _How could Gregory be out of prison? He was supposed to be there for 10 years! I hope he doesn't come to Hope Valley looking for me. Oh, Jack! I need you home desperately._

Suddenly, she felt a sense of calm wash over her; like she knew everything was going to be fine. She decided she didn't want to be a prisoner in her home. She went to her bedroom and grabbed her journal. She was going to go to the pond and enjoy the warming temperatures. As she unlocked the door and stepped out, she did take a hard look at what was going on around her, making sure she didn't see him. She may be feeling better about things but there was no reason to be careless.

As Elizabeth walked out of her home, Jack rode into to town. After taking care of his horse, he walked up to the jail to let Bill know he was back, clean up and then go see his love, his Elizabeth. Oh, how he missed her while he was gone. He noticed the new wanted poster and stopped to read it before entering the jail. "Hi Bill!"

Bill jumped up from the desk and went to shake hands with Jack. "Welcome home, Jack. What are you doing here? I thought you would go see Elizabeth first."

"Well I wanted to clean up first before I went to see her, but how do you know I didn't go see her already?"

"You just missed seeing her here. I think she stopped by to ask me if I knew anything about you coming home but we never got to discuss that. As a matter of fact, I am a little concerned about her." Bill motioned for Jack to join him outside.

Jack stopped him for a minute, instantly alarmed by what Bill had said. "Please, tell me. What is going on?"

"I am not sure exactly but she started acting funny when she saw me put the new wanted poster up. That's why I wanted you to come outside with me. I thought maybe the name might ring a bell with you."

Jack, followed Bill out and read the poster again. _Gregory Williams, Escaped Prison, wanted for stalking, kidnapping and physical abuse_

"Jack, "Bill said. "When Elizabeth saw the poster, she gasped and started shaking. I could see her looking around town as if she thought he was here. When I asked her if she knew him, she said he looked like someone she knew. Then she took off towards the row houses as if the devil was on her heels. I felt like she wasn't saying something but I let it go for the moment. I was going to keep a close eye on her until you returned. I think whoever this guy is, if he did do something to her, she wants to tell you."

Jack looked at the poster again with a million thoughts going through his head. The most important thought was to go find Elizabeth and find out what was going on. "Thanks, Bill for attempting to find out and for watching out for her until I got home. I am going to quickly clean up and go see her." He walked past Bill into the jail.

A short time later, Jack was walking to Elizabeth's house, his mind a jumble of thoughts about this Williams character and what his connection is to Elizabeth. After hearing how she reacted to the poster from Bill, he knew something was going on. He only hoped that whatever this guy did to his sweet Elizabeth that it wasn't too traumatizing. He walked up the steps to her door and knocked. He waited a few minutes to see if she would come to the door, but she didn't. He knocked again, calling out that it was him in case she was afraid to open her door. Again, there was no answer. He tried the door knob only to find it was locked. Just then he heard his name called. He turned and saw Gabe in the street.

"Mountie, Jack! Miss Thatcher isn't home. I just saw her over by the pond."

"Thanks, Gabe." He waved and then walked towards the pond. He saw Elizabeth sitting on a blanket near the edge of the pond. He called out to her a couple of times but she didn't hear him. He slowly approached her, hoping she would hear his footsteps coming towards her. He crouched down to one side and put his hand on her shoulder. "Elizabeth, it's me, Jack".

Elizabeth jumped, let out a little scream and hit him on the shoulder causing him to fall over. When he righted himself, she jumped into his arms. "Oh Jack! You scared me but I am so glad you are here."

Jack took her hand in one of his own and lifted the other to her cheek where he gently caressed it. "I have missed you so much, Sweetheart."

"I missed you too, terribly." She put her other hand on his hand that was on her cheek. "Jack, I need to tell you something and I hope you can forgive me for not telling you before this." She paused to look at him with watery eyes. "I hate talking about this; it gives me nightmares, but I don't see how I can avoid telling you this any longer."

Jack's heart sank as she spoke; obviously this Williams guy had done something to her and she was clearly afraid of him, petrified of him. "Does this have anything to do with the wanted posted Bill put up today? He said you seemed scared when you read it." He took both of her hands in his own and squeezed them. "I promise you, I won't be mad. Did this Williams character hurt you?"

Elizabeth took a deep breath. "Yes, Jack. He did hurt me." Her eyes started filling with tears and she took a breath to try and calm herself. She tried to take a couple of deep breaths to calm herself, but she was having problems. She needed a few more minutes before she could tell her story.

 _What happened to Elizabeth? Why is she so scared?_


	8. Elizabeth's Terror

Elizabeth's Terror

Jack took her hands in his, and squeezed them tightly. "It's ok, Elizabeth. Take your time. I am here for you, always. I will protect you".

After another deep breath, Elizabeth continued. "I meet him when I was at college. It was my second year there. I was in the main library; several area colleges use that library. I was working on assignment for Science class. It was for a report on the circulatory system, so I was the medical section. He was there because he was a second year medical student. He saw me struggling a bit over my report and came over to ask me if I needed help. He told me his name and explained he was a med student. I accepted his help, not thinking that he might take it as permission to court me. I was there to get an education and become a teacher, not to look for a husband." She paused, took another deep breath before she continued. "When I left the library that day, I didn't realize he was following me. He followed me all the way to my dorm. The next day when I left for my classes, he was there waiting for me. He had a bouquet of flowers for me and he asked me to have dinner with him that night." She stopped, tears welling up in her eyes.

Jack put an arm around her shoulders and gave her an encouraging hug. "It's OK, Elizabeth. Take as much time as you need. I can see it's difficult for you."

She looked up at his face and gave his a small smile. "Thanks, Jack. I told him politely I didn't want to have dinner with him. It wasn't just because I had no plans for courting during college. If I had found the right man, I would have. Gregory just didn't appeal to me. He was kind in offering to help me with my assignment but I didn't want to see him regularly, other than if we meet up at the library. He didn't take kindly to my turning him down. He grabbed me by my arm and tightly squeezed it; it hurt so much, I knew there would be bruises." She felt Jack tense when she said that. She had a feeling she knew what was running around in his head. "A campus security guard happened to turn the corner at that moment and Gregory released me but before he did he told me not to say anything to anyone about the way he just hurt me. Then he took off down the road. I almost went back inside to hide in my room but I thought better of it. I wasn't going to let him keep me from completing my goals."

"That's my girl." Jack said as he leaned in to kiss her. "You don't have to tell me the whole story now. I can wait if it's too much to deal with all at once."

"No, Jack, it's ok. Now that I have started I feel the need to finish it. After that day, everywhere I walked, I felt I was being followed by him. Sometimes he would even try to ask me to have dinner with him or go for a walk in the park with him. I always turned him down as nicely as I could, but it made him angrier. He would grab my arms and leave bruises, he would slap my face; he gave me a black eye once." She felt Jack stiffen as she said that and when she looked in his eyes, she saw anger. "I went to the campus police once but when they questioned him, he told them some lies to make it seem like I was the one stalking him. He said I was just after his family money." She laughed a little. "Like I needed to chase after a wealthy man." She looked at Jack's face and saw a little smirk. "My going to the police really angered him; he waited for me right outside my dorm one night and, and…" she tried to continue but found herself sobbing uncontrollably at the memories.

Jack was getting angrier by the minute. One thing that he despised more than anything was a man abusing a woman; it was worse knowing that his sweet Elizabeth was a victim of just that kind of abuse. He somehow managed to control himself and comfort her. "Shhhh," he whispered and took her in his arms. He rocked her back and forth, hoping the movement and being in his embrace would comfort her. "We don't have to continue, Elizabeth."

"No, I have gotten this far, I want to finish." She looked up at him and gave a little smile. She could tell he wasn't mad at her for not telling him about this sooner. She could feel the love he had for her and angry he was feeling for what Gregory had done to her. She felt like if Gregory would show up in Hope Valley right now, Jack would go on the offensive. She swallowed hard before continuing. "He grabbed me by my arm and tried to drag me away. I resisted and started to scream when I couldn't get free. Then next thing I knew he had put his handkerchief over my mouth; I passed out and when I woke up, I was chained to a radiator and gagged. I heard footsteps coming down the stairs; I braced myself, just knowing it was Gregory. He walked over and crouched down in front of me. _"You are now mine, Elizabeth Thatcher"_ He told me. _"In a few days, I am going to have you write some letters. One to the college withdrawing from school. Then second will be to your family telling them you fell madly in love with a doctor and you are running away to marry him."_ I knew I had to go along with him in order for me to get to safety. I nodded my head in agreement to his plans and he reached up to remove the gag. I screamed as I have never screamed before, hoping my cries for help would be heard by someone, anyone. I fought him the best I could to keep him from gagging me again, but he was too strong. He stuffed the gag back in my mouth and he hit me, my face, and my body. _"How dare you scream like that?"_ He yelled, with anger in his eyes. _"You are going to obey me and follow my plans to the letter. We are going to leave this place and get married. You are going to be my dutiful wife and mother to my sons. A man needs sons to carry on his legacy and you are just the girl to give them too me."_

Elizabeth stopped again as more tears began falling from her eyes. Jack resumed rocking her, holding her tightly in hopes to comfort her. He could see in his mind Elizabeth tied up in that basement, scared for her life, wondering if anyone would rescue her. His heart ached for her; he just couldn't understand men who did things like this to women. Especially to this caring, considerate beautiful woman that he was madly in love with. He hoped that this Williams character never came to Hope Valley because if he did, Jack was going to kill him with his bare hands.

Elizabeth calmed herself again and continued her story. "I think I was in his basement for four days but I am not sure how long I was there before I woke up. On that last day, he brought the letters to me, already typed up. He wanted me to sign them. I did as he asked because I knew my parents would know something was wrong since I didn't hand write the letter. I hoped they would come to Ottawa to find me. Gregory had said we were staying in the house until he finished the current term. Then he said we were going to travel to Calgary, where we would marry and he would continue medical school there. I remember after he told me that, he tried to touch my cheek and I pulled away. That angered him again and he took my arm and twisted it. He broke my arm."

Jack tensed again when he heard that. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take before he would go find this man himself, and kill him. How could anyone do this to anyone else?

"He had my letter to my parents hand delivered instead of sending it through the mail. As I thought, the type letter being hand delivered was a big tip off to my father. He immediately traveled to Ottawa and went directly to the Mounties. They were already working on my case, having been called by my dorm mother when I didn't return home that first night. The college was also suspicious about my withdrawal letter. They knew how much I wanted to become a teacher and how dedicated I was to my classes. The Mounties had interviewed some of my friends and had been investigating Gregory. On the seventh day, they surrounded the house and stormed in. Gregory wasn't home but they found me. I was immediately taken to the hospital; along with the broken arm, I had broken ribs and several bruises and cuts on my body. Gregory was arrested when he got home; I was told after that he kept insisting that he would never hurt me, that we were meant to be together, that the police had it all wrong. He eventually was sentenced to 10 years in prison."

She stopped again to catch her breath and control her emotions. She hadn't had to talk about this since she appeared on the witness stand for Gregory's trial. "When I saw the wanted poster at the jail, everything came flooding back. I was afraid for my life, afraid he might find out I am in Hope Valley and come after me. I know I should have told Bill but I just couldn't tell the story twice. I wanted to wait and tell you."

Jack reached his hand to her face and wiped away the tears that were still flowing. He once again took her in his arms to comfort her. "I am glad you told me what happened. I am going to make some inquiries to find out where he might be going. I will make sure you never have to deal with him again." She looked up at him and smile. "Elizabeth, until we know more about what is going on, I would feel better if you move back to Abigail's. I don't want you alone at night and it wouldn't be proper if I stayed with you. Also you would be closer to Bill and me if you stayed at the café."

Elizabeth nodded her head. "As much as I hate to leave here, staying with Abigail right now is the best idea. Would you tell her the reason? I can't go over this story again."

"Of course. I don't want you to have to repeat it. I can see how incredibly hard that was for you just to tell me. And I am not mad at you for not telling me. I don't blame you for wanting to keep this in the past. I hope that if Williams does come to town, Bill is with me when we arrest him. I want to kill him with my bare hands. I hate men who abuse women; him making you one of his victims makes me hate him even more."

Elizabeth giggled a little. "Thank you, my handsome Mountie, for coming to my rescue." She leaned over to kiss him.

"Always, Elizabeth. Always. I will protect you until the day I die. No one is ever going to be allowed to hurt you on my watch." They moved closer for another kiss. "I love you, Sweetheart." He whispered in her ear.

"I love you too."

 _What happens next? Will Gregory find his way to Hope Valley? Find out in the next chapter._


	9. Nightmares and Comforting Embraces

_Thanks for all the kind words about my story so far. I know I said the next chapter we would find out if Gregory comes to town but I decided to go another way instead. Don't worry; in chapter 10 I will reveal if he comes to Hope Valley._

Later that evening, Elizabeth and Jack sat on the swing outside the café. Both were thinking about the day's events. Abigail had been shocked by what happened to Elizabeth and said if they hadn't already planned to have Elizabeth stay with her for a while, she would have suggested it. Bill, upon hearing what happened, was almost as angry as Jack was. He also hated men who beat the women they supposedly love. Bill was eager to help and immediately began sending telegrams to come of his contacts.

Now, Elizabeth had put her head on Jack's shoulder and closed her eyes. She was exhausted after telling her story to Jack but she didn't want to go to sleep. She knew she would be plagued with nightmares that night. Right now, she was enjoying Jack's arm around her while he gently rocked the swing back and forth.

Jack looked over at her and saw her eyes were shut. He knew she had had a rough day and hoped she would be able to sleep tonight. He had a feeling she would have nightmares tonight. He wished with everything in him that he could be with her but that just wasn't proper. He loved her so much and wanted to keep this pain from her. "Elizabeth?" He said softly.

She lifted her head and smiled at him. "Yes, Jack?"

"Are you going to be ok tonight? I hate to leave you; I have a feeling you may have bad dreams tonight."

Elizabeth took a deep breath before answering. "I know I will have nightmares tonight. I will have to deal with them as they happen. I already told Abigail she may hear me scream tonight."

"Elizabeth, if you need me, I don't care what people say. Come and get me. I will sit by your bedside for the rest of the night."

Elizabeth giggled a little. "I will. Hopefully he gets captured soon and I can go back to my life without living in fear of him showing up here. I do feel a little better knowing I have you and Bill inquiring about his whereabouts.

"I hope so too and it happens miles away from here. I don't want him touching you ever again." He leaned over to kiss her but she yawned. Laughing a little, he said. "I should say good night. You need some rest." They both stood up. He lowered his lips towards hers and was able to give her that kiss. "I hope you have good dreams tonight. Dreams of the future we plan to have."

"I will try, Jack. I love you. Thank you for being there for me today."

"I wouldn't be anywhere else, Sweetheart. I love you so much!" They kissed and she entered the café, closing the door behind her. Jack walked back to the jail and got ready for bed. He laid down on the cot and tried to go to sleep but what Elizabeth had gone through was ever present in his mind. Eventually he drifted off.

A short time later, Elizabeth was tossing back and forth in her bed; she was dreaming that Gregory had found her in Hope Valley and he was holding her and Abigail hostage in the café. Jack and Bill were trying to save them but Gregory was threatening to kill Abigail if they didn't back off. _"Elizabeth is mine! We are meant to be together. Step away from the door and let us go. I have wasted too much time away from Elizabeth. It's time for our lives to begin."_ He then grabbed Elizabeth by her hair and dragged her out the door. Jack was right there his gun ready to fire. Gregory raised his gun and pointed it at Jack's chest. _"Step aside, Thornton! She is mine! You cannot keep her from me."_ Then he fired the gun.

Elizabeth bolted upright in bed, screaming Jack's name. She started crying and put a hand to her wildly beating heart as she realized it was just a bad dream. She jumped a little when she heard a knock on her door. "Come in, Abigail."

Abigail rushed in and sat down on the bed with Elizabeth. She put an arm around her. "Are you ok? I heard you scream. You know doubt had a nightmare."

"I did. I dreamed Gregory shot Jack." She reached over to the bedside table to get a handkerchief. She wiped her eyes and face of its tears.

"I am sorry, Elizabeth. I just know Jack and Bill will find him and put him away for good." She reached over and hugged Elizabeth.

"Thanks, Abigail. Thanks for checking on me. I think I can try to go back to sleep now."

"Ok. If you need anything, come get me." Abigail got up and left the room. Elizabeth put her head back on her pillow and attempted to fall back to sleep. When she did, all she could see what that image of Gregory shooting Jack. She quietly got out of bed, put on her robe, grabbed her shawl and went downstairs to go sit on the swing. She debated whether she should go down to the jail and wake up Jack. A part of her wanted to but then another part knew she would rather have him get a good night's sleep so he could be alert if Gregory ever made his way to Hope Valley.

At the same time, in the jail, Jack was having a nightmare too. Gregory has come to town to kidnap Elizabeth and start his perverted life with her. She was in the café when Gregory found her. He grabbed her by her hair and dragged her into the street. Elizabeth screamed out his name and Jack came running out of the jail to find Gregory with one arm around her throat and his other arm waving a gun around. _"Williams!"_ Jack shouted. _"Let her go. She does not want to be with you! Her life is here in Hope Valley, not with you."_ Gregory let out an evil laugh. _"Stand back, Constable! Elizabeth is mine! Come one step closer and she dies!"_ He aimed the gun at her temple. She screamed. _"Shut up, Woman!"_ He yelled as his grip around her neck tightened. Jack moved a couple of steps closer in hopes to sneak up on Williams while his attention was diverted trying to get Elizabeth quiet. Williams sense the movement and his finger pulled the trigger back on the gun.

"Noooooo!" Jack yelled as he bolted upright in bed. He looked around the jail and realized he had a nightmare.

"Jack, what is it?" Bill asked softly as the sound of Jack's shouting woke him up.

"Sorry to wake you, Bill. I had a nightmare about Williams." He got out of bed and got dressed. "I don't think I can go back to sleep right now. I am going to take a walk." He pushed open the door to the jail and started heading down the street to the café. Since he was up he may as well go check on things there.

As he approached, he thought he heard sobs and the sound of the swing creaking. When he got closer he realized Elizabeth was sitting on the swing, with her arms around her knees, crying. "Elizabeth." He said softly as he walked up the steps to the porch.

She looked up and saw Jack looking at her with concern in his eyes. He sat down beside her and put his arms around her. She returned the embrace and buried her face in his chest while she cried. "Oh, Jack! I had the worst nightmare. I dreamed he shot you."

There was no need to say who the "he was" Jack held her more tightly. "I had a nightmare too, only he shot you instead of me. I knew I wouldn't be to go back to sleep so I decided to come down here and check things out."

"I am so sorry you had the bad dream but I am happy you came down here. I needed to feel your arms around me." She pulled back from his chest and kissed him gently. They held each other for a long time after, just happy to be together despite the events that had led them to their middle of the night meeting.

 _Gregory comes to town! What does Elizabeth do when he corners her at the school house?_


	10. Finding Inner Strength

A few days had passed since Jack and Bill had learned about Gregory Williams and what he had done to Elizabeth. Information was coming in slowly about his whereabouts; nothing was conclusive about where Williams was. Some reports said he was spotted in Ottawa, perhaps looking for Elizabeth where he last saw her. Then a report came that said he was in Hamilton; another said he was in Winnipeg making his way closer to Hope Valley. Jack and Bill agreed to keep this a secret for now; they both thought it would be easier on Elizabeth if she didn't know anything until they were certain where he was going.

Since learning about the wedding, the children were eager to help out with the plans. Elizabeth decided to let the children have three hours a week after school to work on wedding projects and things for the house that Jack was building. The boys wanted to help with the building, so Elizabeth had asked Adam Miller to help out. They were making a table and chairs. The girls were working on wedding decorations. Elizabeth taught them how to knit little bags they could put the rice in that would be thrown at the happy couple after they were married. The girls were also interested in learning to cross stitch after they saw the work Elizabeth was doing. Elizabeth had ordered them some easy piece to work on, like table scarves. They loved sitting in the school house asking Elizabeth questions about her wedding and doing their needle work.

On this particular day, while things were happy and light by the school house, trouble stood nearby just waiting for a time to pounce. Gregory Williams had made his way to Hope Valley after learning Elizabeth was now living there. He had been skulking around for three days, learning what he could about her by eavesdropping on the town's folk. He was livid to find out Elizabeth had been cheating on him with the Constable, that she was going to marry him. He had wanted to find the Constable and kill him, but decided he wanted to find Elizabeth first. He wanted her to watch him kill the Constable and remember what he could still do to her. So he waited and watched, bidding his time until he could get her alone.

From his vantage point, he saw the children exit the school; he check his watch and noted is was 3 o'clock. Earlier in the week he had watched as the Constable would come by to walk Elizabeth home. Today, he made sure that wouldn't happen. He made sure that some Mountie business would keep the Constable away, allowing him to make his move on Elizabeth. What he didn't know was the boys and Adam Miller were working along the far side of the school.

Gregory marched his way up the steps of the school and opened the door. He walked in and surveyed the room, noticing that Elizabeth was not alone. Several of her students were still with her. He muttered to himself, upset that she wasn't alone. He then decided to continue with his plan and if he had to kill a couple of the little girls, so be it. Nothing was going to keep him from Elizabeth any longer.

Just then, Roseleen looked up and saw him. "Who are you?" she asked.

Elizabeth turned to see who Roseleen was talking to and screamed. "What, what are you doing here?" She stumbled over her words as fear set in. How she wished Jack would stop in just to see her, though she knew he wouldn't be by for another 45 minutes or so. She screamed again when Gregory pulled out a gun and started waiving around the room, pointing it at some of the girls to make a point.

"Do as I say, Elizabeth and these pretty little girls won't get hurt. Now, I want you to send the children home and then you and I are going to pack your things and we are going to leave dusty, no good town and go live the life we deserve. You have already taken away 4 years of our lives. I intend to make you pay for that." He started coming towards Elizabeth with that familiar glare in his eyes. Opal, who was standing to the side of Elizabeth, started to cry. He pointed the gun at the little girl, who then let out a scream of her own.

Outside, Adam and Gabe, who were working on sanding down one of the nightstands, heard Elizabeth's screams. Adam, who had been told by Jack about Gregory and who Jack had asked to keep an eye out for, moved towards one of the side windows to look inside. He motioned for Gabe to do the same with the other window. When Adam saw Gregory with a gun pointed at Elizabeth and Opal, he mouthed to Gabe to get the other boys to go search for Jack. In the meantime, Adam continued watching through the windows, looking for an opportunity to save Elizabeth and the girls.

Inside, Elizabeth, who was initially frightened by Gregory, was starting to get angry. She was sick of being scare of him, especially after he threatened her students, innocent children. She was about to say something to Gregory when Emily, who was behind Opal, started sobbing. "Don't take Miss Thatcher from us. We love her and can't wait for her and Mountie Jack to get married."

Gregory turned his head towards Emily and pointed his gun at her. "Shut up, you stupid little girl! This is between Elizabeth and me. Mind your place and keep quiet". He started waiving his gun around the room. "That goes for all of you. If you want to live and go home to your parents, you keep your mouths shut!"

Emily and Opal threw their arms around each other and tried to keep quiet, but they were so scared that they both whimpered, causing Gregory to once again point the gun to them. "I said quiet!" and he jerked his finger on the trigger of his gun.

"Nooooo!" Elizabeth screamed and jumped in front of the two scared girls.

At that moment, Jack arrived, having been found by Gabe. He started for the side of the school to work out a plan with Adam when he heard Gregory yelling and Elizabeth screaming as a gun went off. Jack charged up the steps, his heart pounding as he sent up a quick prayer that his Elizabeth would be all right. Adam was at his heels. Both men were greeted with a scene of the girls holding each other and Gregory yelling at Elizabeth, calling her a stupid women for jumping in from of the gun. He tried to pull Elizabeth up from the floor, but she dug her heels in, refusing to make it easy for him to take her.

Jack pulled Gregory off Elizabeth and started arresting him. Gregory pulled himself from Jack's grasp and cackled at him. "So the man you cheated on me with has come to your rescue. Well, guess what Elizabeth? My plan was to kill the Constable in front of you. It looks like my dream will come true. Say good bye to the Constable, my dear." He picked up his gun and aimed it at Jack. He was about to pull the trigger when a shot was heard from behind him. Gregory fell to the ground. Everyone in the room looked up and saw Bill. Caleb had found Bill and informed him of the situation. He rushed to the school house and found Williams about to kill Jack.

Jack checked Williams pulse and noted there wasn't one. He breathed a sigh of relief that Elizabeth's turmoil was over. He then looked over at Elizabeth and noticed she was bleeding profusely from her arm and it looked like she might faint. "Elizabeth!" He said as he rushed to her aid. He looked at her arm and noted she had been shot in the shoulder. Her face had gone pale and she still looked like she might pass out at any minute. He picked her up in his arms, turned to Bill. "Can you take care of everything here? She needs a doctor right away."

"Of course, Jack. I will make sure the children get home safely, then come back to take care of his body."

"Jack, I have my wagon here. Let me bring it up front and I will take you to town to see the doctor." Adam said, then turned to rush out of the school house. Jack quickly followed him and placed Elizabeth in the back. He sat with her, holding her hand the entire ride into town.

When they arrived at the doctor's office, Jack ran as fast as he could with Elizabeth in his arms to see the doctor. He paced back and forth in the waiting room while Dr. Matthews examined and treated her wound. It seemed like he had been waiting for hours for the doctor to come out. At one point, Abigail came in having heard what happened from Bill. She was almost as scared and worried as Jack was. Finally, Dr. Matthews emerged from the exam room.

"How is she, Doc?" Jack asked nervously.

"She is going to be fine, Constable. The bullet went right through her shoulder. She will be sore for a while and will need to wear a sling. I suggested she take a few days off from school and rest. From what she told me, I think her students could use a break from classes too."

Jack breathed a sigh of relief as Abigail murmured "Thank heavens she will be fine".

"May I go see her?" Jack asked.

"Or course. She has been asking for you. I would like for her to stay the night. I will be here to monitor things. I don't mind if you want to stay with her. I have a feeling she is going to have a hard time sleeping and if she does sleep, she may have nightmares."

Thank you, Dr." Jack rushed into the exam room. He found Elizabeth lying on the bed, tears flowing down her cheeks. He flew to her side and gently put his arms around her, making sure he didn't jostle her shoulder. She leaned into him and continued to sob. He rubbed her back and whispered "Let it out, Sweetheart, let it all out." He continued to hold her until her sobs quieted down. She pulled away from him slightly and gave him a small smile. "When you are ready, Elizabeth, I would like to talk to you about what happened at school. I am going to need a formal statement from you."

"I can talk about now, Jack." She saw him about to protest so she put a finger to his mouth to silence him. "I want to get it over with so I can move on with my life, with our life. One question though. Is he really dead?"

"Yes he is. He won't ever hurt you, or anyone again." He took her left hand in his, played with the engagement ring on her finger and said. "Tell me what happened."

"The girls and I were working on the wedding projects. Maybe only five or ten minutes had gone by when he entered the school house. He waived that gun around, telling me that he had come for me, that he was going to take me to pack my cloths and we would leave Hope Valley to get married. The girls were upset with what he was doing and saying. Opal started to cry and he pointed his gun right at her. At that point, I had had it. I became angry at him; angry that he was threatening my students, innocent children, angry that he wouldn't accept that my life was not meant to be with him. I was about to say something when Emily cried out that she loved me and didn't want him taking me away. He turned towards her and told her to shut up, he told everyone to be quiet, that he would kill anyone who made any more noise. That scared Opal and Emily even more and they both started whimpering. Gregory started to pull the trigger and that's when I jumped in from of the girls."

Jack gently hugged her again; he was proud of her for standing up for herself and protecting the girls. A part of him was upset that she could have been killed by Williams but he pushed that thought out of his mind. No good ever came from going over "what ifs" in his mind. "Elizabeth, you were so brave to stand up to him. I am so proud of you." He brought her free hand to his lips and kissed it. "Dr. Matthews said I could stay the night with you in case you need me. If everything goes well tonight, I can take you home tomorrow."

"Yes, he told me. I am happy you can stay. I may have nightmares tonight." She leaned back on her pillow and yawned.

"You should try to get some sleep, Sweetheart. You had a very trying day." He kissed her forehead, then went to pull a chair over towards her bed. "I love you, so much! I am so grateful that you weren't seriously hurt today."

"I love you, Jack, with all my heart." She then closed her eyes and said a quick prayer hoping she could have a restful night's sleep.

Jack sat at her bedside, just watching her sleep. She appeared to be resting comfortably, for the most part. Every once in a while she would attempt to roll over on her wounded shoulder but the pain would stop her. Jack decided to put his head down on the bed and get some rest.

Elizabeth made it through the night with only one nightmare. Jack helped her through it and she went back to sleep after only a few minutes. In the early morning hours, Elizabeth woke up to see Jack's head lying on her bed, his hand holding hers. She brushed her fingers through his hair as he slept, thinking to herself how grateful she was to have him in her life. Her thoughts then turned to what happened in the school house the day before. She felt so guilty that Gregory had frightened her students and almost killed them. How could she face the mother's knowing she was the reason their daughters may also have had nightmares? She could only hope they would accept her apologies.

 _How does the town react to what happened in the school house?_


	11. Faith, Love and Hope

A little while later, Jack woke up to see Elizabeth staring off in the distance with tears falling down her cheeks. He reached over to gently pull her face towards him. "Elizabeth, Sweetheart" He asked with concern, "What's wrong?" He looked at her with worry in his eyes.

"Jack, how am I going to face the parents today after their daughters were nearly killed by something from my past? I keep thinking maybe I should have calmed the girls more and just gone with him. You would have found me. I don't think I could live with myself if one of the girls had been killed."

Jack was horrified by that thought. "Elizabeth, no! This isn't your fault. You are not to blame for what was going on in Williams' sick mind. This is all on him. Everyone in town knows that." He stroked her cheek. "In fact, I think you will find people thanking you for what you did to protect the girls"

"You think so?" She replied with a small smile on her face as she thought about what Jack had just said.

Jack leaned over and gave her a kiss. "I know so".

Just then, Dr. Matthews entered the room. "How is the patient this morning?" He walked over to the bed and started checking her vitals. "How did you sleep last night? Did you have much pain? Any nightmares?"

"My shoulder was a little painful but only because I kept trying to roll over on my right side to sleep. Once I roll back, I didn't really feel the pain. I did have one nightmare, but Jack was here to comfort me." She smiled up at the doctor. "Thank you for letting him stay with me."

"You're welcome. Things are looking good with the shoulder. I can let you go home today, in a little while. Mrs. Stanton was just here to check on you and I told her I thought you would be going home today. She left to go to your house to get some clothes for you. Once she comes back and you change, you are free to go. Just keep resting the shoulder and make sure you keep it in the sling. I know it will be uncomfortable for a while but it does help with the healing."

"Thank you, Dr." Elizabeth said.

"I will make sure she follows your instructions to the letter, if I have to park outside her house all day and night". Jack said and Elizabeth giggled.

A short time later, Abigail appeared with a change of clothes for Elizabeth. Jack stepped outside to allow her to change in private. Abigail stayed to help. "I knew you would want a new dress after what happened yesterday."

"Thanks, Abigail. You think of everything."

"I have breakfast planned at the café for you once we leave. You need to eat in order for your body to heal."

"Would it be ok if I took the breakfast home? I don't want to face anyone else today.

"Sure, I guess that's fine. Just make sure you eat. "Abigail said. "Just have a quick cup of tea with me in the back before you head home."

"That sounds nice."

Elizabeth had finished dressing. Abigail moved to the door and opened it. Jack was waiting right outside. "You looked beautiful, Elizabeth." He said.

Elizabeth scoffed. "Really, Jack. I know I am definitely not looking my best."

Jack shook his head. "You always look beautiful to me. Even yesterday I was rushing you here, when you were so pale, you still looked pretty to me." He walked over to her and offered his arm. Together they walked out of the doctor's office with Abigail behind them and walked to the café.

When Jack opened the door to the café and stepped inside with Elizabeth, everyone inside started applauding. Elizabeth let out a little yelp when she saw the town's people telling her how happy they were that she was ok. Some thanked her for her bravery in protecting the girls. Opal and Emily ran up to her and gave her big hugs. "We are so glad you are ok, Miss Thatcher!"

Elizabeth, overcome by emotions, started crying. "Thank you so much for the warm greetings. I was so sure you would be mad at me because of what happened. If I had just gone with him and gotten him out of there, the girls wouldn't have been frightened."

Cat stepped forward. "Why would we be mad? You couldn't control what that man was going to do. Bill told us he had a mental problem, that in his mind he believed you were his. What happened in the school house was all on him. We are all so thankful that you protected the girls and that you are ok. That's all that matters." Around the room numerous "here, here's" and "I agrees" were heard.

Elizabeth put her hand to her heart. "Thank you so much for believing in me and understanding the situation."

Jack, who had been standing right behind her, whispered in her ear "See? I knew the town's people would not blame you. They are almost as happy as I am that you were not seriously hurt." He took her hand and said. "How about some breakfast? The town planned this just for you."

"Thank you, I think I would like to sit down and have something to eat."

"Let me go get you a plate."

Later that morning, after having breakfast and chatting with the town's people, Elizabeth started to feel tired. She wanted to go home but felt it would be rude since her party was still going strong. She was so blessed knowing that everyone here supported her. She felt a yawn start and tried to hide it with her hand. Jack noticed. "You feel like going upstairs and getting some rest?" He asked. It had been decided while they were eating that Elizabeth would spend a few more days at the café so Abigail could look in on her.

She blushed. "I thought I did a better job covering the yawn. I hate to leave since everyone has been so kind to me, but I really feel I need a nap."

"No problem. Let me take care of it." Jack got up and told everyone she needed to get some rest. As they walked out, they all came by to once again tell Elizabeth how happy they were that she was ok. Jack helped Elizabeth up to her room, followed by Abigail who was going to help her change. Once Elizabeth was in bed, Abigail let Jack back in the room.

"Don't stay too long. She needs some rest." Abigail cautioned.

"I won't. I was planning on sitting with her until she falls asleep and then go to the jail to file my report about this." He didn't need to say anything further as to what "this" was.

Jack walked to her bed and sat down on it. He took her hand in his and brought it to his lips. Elizabeth gave him a tired smile. "Close your eyes, Sweetheart! You need to rest. I will stay with you until you fall asleep, then I am going to the jail to get some work done. I will come back later for dinner and maybe we can sit out on the swing and talk about our wedding. It's getting closer and closer." Excitement shown in his eyes.

"I would like that, Jack." She said, sleepily. "I can't wait for it to be June 18th. Maybe we could talk about where we would like to go on our honeymoon?" She knew it was just an innocent comment but she blushed none the same.

"That sounds like a great idea." He kept her hand in his and gently caressed it. Soon she was asleep. He quietly got up and walk out of her room.

A knock at her door woke Elizabeth. She glanced at her clock and noted it was 1:30. "Come in."

Abigail walked in to find Elizabeth attempting to sit up in bed. She moved quickly over to the bed to help her sit up. "I hope I didn't wake you. I thought I would check in to see if you needed anything. Are you hungry?"

"Surprisingly I am. I ate more than I usually do at breakfast this morning, I figured I wouldn't be hungry until dinner. I guess it's my body telling me I need more nourishment to help with the healing."

"You are so right, Elizabeth. I have beef stew and chicken and dumplings today."

"I will have chicken and dumplings." She saw Abigail move towards the door. "Abigail, I would like to come down to eat. Could you help me get dressed?"

"Of course".

A short time later, Elizabeth was sitting at the table in the kitchen with a plate of chicken and dumplings in front of her. As she ate, she began thinking about where she would like to go on their honeymoon. She decided Banff would be her first choice. She had heard wonderful things about the resort there. It was nestled in the mountains and had a hot spring. Also added Calgary and Edmonton to the list in her mind.

Abigail came back into the kitchen as Elizabeth was bringing her dishes to the sink. "You didn't have to do that. I would have cleared the table."

"It's no problem, Abigail". Elizabeth returned to the table. "Do you have some time to sit with me? I wanted to talk with you about something."

"Of course, Elizabeth. The last of lunch crowd just left. Would you like a cup of tea and some fresh baked cookies?"

"I would love some." Elizabeth waited until Abigail had served the tea, cookies and sat down at the table. She started to say something but couldn't find the right words for what she wanted to say.

Abigail noticed she was nervous about something. She took Elizabeth's hand and gave it a squeeze. "It's ok, Elizabeth. You can tell me anything."

"Abigail, I love Jack so much and I can't wait to be his wife but….." Her words trailed off.

"And you are nervous about the wedding night." Abigail finished for her.

Elizabeth looked at her in surprise. "How did you know?"

"I was a nervous bride-to-be once myself. And a nervous young bride. My mother had died before I got married and I was the only girl in the family. Noah's mother tried to give me some advice but it didn't help calm my nerves. Thankfully, Noah was understanding; he knew how nervous I was especially since I didn't have a mother to talk to. He didn't know his mother had tried to talk to me. He made sure we had a romantic night and that we took things slowly. He even said we didn't have to do anything that night; that we could just spend the night in each other's arms." The memory of it brought a tear to her eye. "Jack reminds me a lot of Noah. I know he will want to take things slowly with you."

Elizabeth thought over what Abigail had said. "You are right, Abigail. Jack will want to take things slowly. Thank you. I feel better about this now." She stood up from the table. "I am going to take a walk. I need to go out and get some air."

"That sounds like a good idea. I wish I could join you but I have to get started on dinner."

Elizabeth nodded then went out the back door. As she walked down the street towards the pond, she waived at everyone who called out to her. It was nice knowing she had the town behind her after the mess with Gregory. She loved Hope Valley. It was a wonderful town to call home.


	12. Parties and Picnics

Ten days had passed since the incident at the school house. Elizabeth no longer wore the sling. She was very busy with the school year ending and her wedding day approaching. Her parents and Julie would be arriving in a few days. Julie was going to stay with her until the day of the wedding while her parents were going to have her old room over the café. Julie would take the small room off the kitchen at the café after the wedding. Julie joked that she could stay at the row house on the wedding night and would be quiet as a mouse but she wasn't serious. As much as she wanted to know everything about the wedding night, even Julie recognized that some things would remain private. That wouldn't stop her from trying to find out how things were.

Elizabeth and Jack were closer than ever. They hardly ever fought, although they did go a couple of rounds over the wedding plans. Each one would apologize to the other the next day. They knew it was just the stress of the wedding; their love for each other grew stronger with each passing day. So did their passion; they were both glad that the wedding was coming up soon. They both were having a hard time leaving each other at night. Not to mention they would often talk about their honeymoon, which they decided would be in Banff. They found it hard to discuss their honeymoon without letting things get out of hand.

Today was the last day of school for the summer. Elizabeth was excited because she knew in another week she would be married, but she was also sad. She wouldn't be seeing her students every day until school resumed in the fall. She had a hard time with the students that day. They were excited that school was coming to a close and that the wedding was a week away. Somehow, Elizabeth managed to quiet them down so she could start her lesson. Her lesson today was going to be about Banff.

At noon, she dismissed the children for lunch. She stayed for a moment at her desk and wrote a quick passage in her journal. She picked up her lunch and made her way outside to eat; it was a gorgeous day and she wanted to eat outside. When she opened the door, Abigail and many of the women along with the children were outside waiting.

"Surprise!" They all yelled.

Elizabeth jumped and let out a squeal. She looked around and noticed food spread out on one of the picnic tables and another table had gifts.

"What is going on here?" She asked, but smiled to let them know she wasn't upset.

Cassandra came forward. "The other children and I wanted to do something special for you on the last day of school. I thought a party at lunch would be fun. I went to Mrs. Stanton for ideas. She thought it would be fun to give you bridal shower. Mrs. Stanton talked to the other ladies in town and they all agreed." Cassandra paused, looking around. "The boys are only here for the food. They are going to play baseball while you open the gifts."

"Oh my goodness! This was so thoughtful of you, all of you. Thank you so much!" Elizabeth felt a tear of joy forming in her eye. "You all mean so much to me."

Emily and Opal came running to her. Each grabbed one of her hands. "Come sit here, Miss. Thatcher. By the gifts. We will get you a plate. What would you like?"

Elizabeth glanced at the table as she was pulled by the girls to her chair. Abigail had made sandwiches, chicken and ham, along with potato salad and assorted cookies. At the end of the table with a yummy looking cake. To drink there was fresh lemonade. "I would love a ham sandwich and some potato salad. Thank you, girls."

Opal went to get the lemonade while Emily fixed her plate. Once Elizabeth had started eating, everyone else joined in. After they finished, it was decided that Elizabeth would open her presents next and save the cake for last.

The girls had made their gifts. Elizabeth received candles, potholders and kitchen towels that were embroidered like Elizabeth had taught them and two aprons. Elizabeth hugged the girls and thanked them for the beautiful gifts. Then the boys were called back to the party so they could also have cake. As they were eating the cake, Elizabeth went to talk with some of ladies. She felt that the children were never calm down enough to have a lesson this afternoon and wondered if the mothers would take issue if she decided to end school early. No one minded.

Elizabeth gathered all the students. "Thank you so much for the wonderful party and the great times we had in the school room this year. My gift back to you is letting your summer vacation start early. Class dismissed!" The children all cheered, then came one by one to give her a hug.

Later that day, after Abigail and Elizabeth carried her gifts back to her house, Elizabeth put them all on her table and stared at them. The party had been so thoughtful. She felt the love she had for her students and that they had for her. Next week, she would marry her best friend. She couldn't wait to start her life with Jack. She was so blessed.

As she putting away her presents, there was a knock at her door and Jack poked his head in. She smiled at him as he closed the distance between them.

Hi, Sweetheart! How are you?" He asked as he placed a kiss on her cheek.

"I am wonderful, Jack! I was just thinking how blessed I am. The children threw me a wonderful party today, the ladies in town helped out and I have a wonderful fiancé." She gave him a kiss on his lips. As they drew apart, she said. "I can't wait till next Saturday."

"Me either." Jack replied with a twinkle in his eye. "Would you like to have a picnic supper tonight? Things are progressing nicely with our house and I thought we could have the picnic by the pond."

"That sounds wonderful. I would love too. Let me go see what I can put together for the food." She started to head towards her icebox when Jack grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"No need. I picked up something from Abigail's. It's in the buggy I rented for the night." He smiled at her, picked up her shawl from the chair she had draped it on, then took her hand. "Shall we?"

"We shall!" She giggled.

Once they arrived at their land, Jack pulled the horse to a stop and helped Elizabeth down from the buggy. As she looked at the progress of the house while Jack grabbed the basket of food and a blanket. He set down the basket as he saw the awed expression on her face.

"It's really coming along." He said.

"It is. I can't wait until we can move in." She turned to Jack and gave him a quick kiss. "I can already picture us in the living room, sitting in front of the fire and maybe having an indoor picnic."

Jack closed his eyes, picturing what she had just described. "I can see it too. I also see us in a couple of years at Christmas time. A decorated tree with presents and a child or two running around it, anxious to open the gifts."

"That's a lovely thought" She agreed.

He took her hand and pulled her towards the pond. When they reached it, he set the basket down, then spread out the blanket. Once he had helped her down, he opened the basket and began pulling items out of it. There was fried chicken, more of the delicious potato salad, Abigail's biscuits and some of the cake from her party for dessert. They sat around eating and enjoying being alone together. After tomorrow, once her family arrived it would be hard for them to find a few moments for just themselves.


	13. Family Surprises

_I realized after I wrote and posted the last chapter that earlier in the story I had mentioned that no one knew where Julie was. I forgot to explain why she is back in the picture. I will mention it during this chapter._

Elizabeth woke early the next morning. Julie and their parents were arriving in the late afternoon on the stage. She was going to have breakfast with Jack at the café before he headed out to do his rounds. She was going to have a dress fitting with Clara, work on some wedding plans and help Abigail with the special dinner she had planned for her family that evening. It would be the first time her parents would meet Charlotte Thornton. She hoped Charlotte would be feeling better today; she missed the party yesterday because she wasn't feeling well.

Elizabeth stayed in bed for a few minutes, remembering the romantic evening she had with Jack. They spent their time together discussing their hopes and dreams for the future. More images of their family ran through her mind as she pictured their children running around by the pond while she and Jack watched. They also practiced feeding cake to each other with the leftovers from her party cake. They had each promised each other they wouldn't try to shove the cake into the other's face. She hoped Jack would keep his promise because if he didn't all bets were off.

She quickly dressed, checked the room across from hers to make sure it was ready for Julie. Charlotte had moved to the saloon earlier this week so Elizabeth could have time with her sister and eventually, Jack. Everything looked in order so she went downstairs to check her basket. She was going to work on the name cards for the reception while she was at the café. She found the cards, calligraphy pen and ink. As she closed the basket, she heard a knock on the door. Picking up the basket and her shawl, she opened the door to find Jack waiting for her with a bouquet of flowers. He handed the flowers to her and gave her a quick kiss.

"Thank you, Jack. They are beautiful. Let me put them in some water and then we can go to the café."

Soon, they were walking over to Abigail's. "One more week, Sweetheart. Just one more week and you will be my wife. You will be Mrs. Thornton." Jack squeezed her hand.

"And you will be my husband. I can't wait. I hope this week flies by."

"Me too." He agreed as they walked up the steps to the café.

"Good morning!" Abigail greeted them. "Have a seat." She nodded towards the table in the kitchen. "Would you like some coffee?"

"Yes, please." Jack said and Elizabeth nodded in agreement.

"But I can get it if you have customers." Elizabeth said as she walked to the stove to get the coffee pot. She filled two cups and brought them to the table as Abigail took a plate out to the dining room.

When she returned, she put together a platter of eggs, bacon, biscuits and scones. She set it down on the table, poured herself a cup of tea and joined them. They talked about the picnic last night and how plan for the wedding were going. Soon, Jack stood up to leave.

"I better get going on my rounds. I want to be finished so I can be here when your family arrives." He leaned down to give Elizabeth a kiss. "Bye, Sweetheart!"

"Have a good day, My Love!" She reached for her basket to pull out one of the place cards she had already done. She wanted to show Abigail.

"Oh, that's beautiful work, Elizabeth. "

"Thank you!"

"How are the rest of your plans going? Any problems?"

"Well, I hate to jinx myself, but as of right now, there are no problems."

"You have the whole town behind you. If anything were to go wrong, we will all be here for you to help out"

"Thank you, Abigail."

"I hear Julie is coming with your parents today. What happened?"

"Well, apparently she has been in Ottawa this whole time. She applied to the same college I did, only she got into their nursing program."

"Wow!" Abigail said, surprised. "She wants to be a nurse?"

"Yes, and apparently she is doing well with her classes. She got all A's"

"Good for her. How did your father take it?"

"My mother said he almost fainted. Then he got himself together and asked how she was paying for it. Apparently she took out a loan. No one really knows how she got it but she did. Father then said he would pay off her loan and pay for the rest of her education. Mother said Julie protested at first but soon realized she wasn't going to win that battle. Since Father paid for my education he intends to do the same for her."

"It sounds to me as if she has grown up a lot."

"It does. I plan on finding out more, later." Elizabeth smiled. "I will let you know what I find out."

Just then Clara came down the steps. "Good Morning, Elizabeth! Are you reading for your dress fitting?"

"Yes I am. Abigail, how is your breakfast crowd? Would you be able to join us?

"Last check on the dining room a few minutes ago show there were no customers. Let me double check and then I will put the close sign on the door. I had planned to try on my dress too."

Soon, they were in Elizabeth's old room. They decided Abigail would try on her dress first. It was made of yellow satin with pink roses embroidered in. The dress had a lace on the sweetheart neck line. She would carry a small bouquet of white roses and yellow carnations. Elizabeth would have a bouquet of yellow roses and white carnations. Abigail looked stunning in the dress. Very little altering needed to be done to it.

Soon, Abigail was helping Elizabeth into her dress. Her dress was off white satin with lace covering the whole dress. She also had a sweetheart neck line and the dress had buttons shaped like rosebuds going down the back. She would be wearing a lace veil attached to a tiara. The dress fit beautifully.

"Oh, Elizabeth, you look breathtaking. Jack is going to be blown away when he sees you." Abigail had tears in her eyes as she looked at Elizabeth.

"You really think so?" She said, trying to imagine the look on his face when she walked down the aisle to him.

"I don't think so, I know so. He may even faint." Abigail replied.

Elizabeth giggled at the thought of that. "Well I am not sure I want that." Elizabeth turned to Clara. "Thank you so much for this beautiful dress. It is exactly what I wanted." Elizabeth reached for her bag so she could pay Clara.

"You're welcome. And put your money away. This is my wedding gift to you. Not to mention free advertising. I am hoping the women of Hope Valley will love your dress so much that they will come see me for a pretty dress of their own."

"Thank you, Clara. That means a lot to me." Clara and Abigail began unbuttoning her dress. Once Elizabeth was done changing she took her wedding dress, which had been hung neatly in a dress bag and took it home, to hang in the closet of her spare room. She would dress for her wedding in her own house, with Abigail, Clara, Julie and her mother with her.

The afternoon went by quickly. Elizabeth was keeping herself busy with her names cards. Soon, she heard the back door open and Jack walked in. He had changed from his uniform into a suit. She got up to greet him. "Jack! How was your day?" She kissed him hello.

"It was fine. How was yours?" Jack hugged her. They walked over to the table and sat down. He picked up one of the cookies that sat on a plate.

"My day has gone well so far. I had the final fitting for my dress. I worked on the place cards and discussed some final details of the wedding with Abigail. Now we wait until my family arrives and hope my good day continues. With my parents, especially father, you never know what could happen."

Jack put one hand on her cheek and caressed it, the other grabbed her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Don't worry, Elizabeth. Nothing is going to keep us from getting married. I won't let it, not when we have come this far."

"You are right, Jack. What is the worst my parent can do? Threaten to cut me off financially? Well I meant what I said back when you first proposed. I don't need their money to be happy. I am beyond happy with my life here in Hope Valley and with you." She kissed the hand that was holding hers. "I am not going to let anything ruin this time for us"

Just then, they heard the stagecoach approach. They got up from the table, went outside at approached it. The door opened and Julie stuck her head out. Jack gave her his hand to help her down.

"Sister!" Julie yelled out. "It's so good to see you." She walked up to Elizabeth and gave her a big hug.

"I am so glad you could come, Julie." Elizabeth returned the hug, then looked up to see her father helping her mother down from the coach. "Mother, Father! I am so happy you are here." She walked over to give her mother a kiss, while Jack shook her father's hand.

"Welcome, Mr. and Mrs. Thatcher. I hope you had a pleasant trip" Jack said. He went to shake hands with his future mother-in-law.

"A handshake, Jack? Come now, we are going to be family in one week's time. Please call me Grace." She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. Jack blushed but returned one to her.

"Yes, Jack. Let's forget the formalities. Call me William."

"OK, William and Grace. How about we go into the café and have some tea and cookies. Dinner won't be for another few hours."

"Of course, Jack, but first we have a surprise for you and Elizabeth." William said as he put his hand back into the coach. Soon, a lady had come out through the door.

Elizabeth let out a yelp. "Aunt Elizabeth?" She quickly came over to her aunt and gave her a huge hug and a kiss. Then she noticed Uncle Wynn coming out of the coach. "Uncle Wynn! What a nice surprise. I am so glad you could both come."

"There was no way I could miss my namesake's wedding, especially since she followed in my footsteps in more ways than one." Elizabeth laughed at the comment.

Elizabeth let go of her aunt to give her uncle a quick kiss, then she motioned Jack to come over for introductions. "Jack, this is my aunt Elizabeth Delaney and her husband, Wynn." Jack shook both of their hands. "Aunt Elizabeth became a teacher and her first assignment was in the west. While she was there, she meet Uncle Wynn, who is also a Mountie.

Jack's eyes widened in surprise. "Wow! Now I know why Mrs. Delaney said you followed her footsteps in more ways than one." He turned to Wynn and said. "It's always a pleasure to meet a fellow Mountie."

"Yes, it is." Wynn agreed as the two men shook hands.

"There is no need to be formal with us, Jack." Aunt Elizabeth said. "You may call us by our first names, or if you want, Aunt and Uncle. After all, that's what we will be in a week's time."

"Thank you, Aunt Elizabeth." Jack said, "How about we go into the café and have some tea. You must all be a bit tired from the trip."

Soon they were inside and introductions had been made to Abigail and Charlotte. Elizabeth explained the similarities between her life and her Aunt's. They enjoyed a cup of tea and some cookies before the Thatcher's decided to go up to their room and rest before dinner. Elizabeth, Jack, Charlotte and Julie all walked over to the saloon with Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Wynn so they could get a room. Then Elizabeth and Julie excused themselves to go to Elizabeth's house so Julie could get settled. They agreed to all meet back at the café later for dinner.

That evening with everyone sitting around the table, after dinner had been eaten, the extended family got to know each other. They told stories about Elizabeth and Jack as children, even embarrassing ones. Both of them had red faces numerous times, but they found they could laugh right along with the others. Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Wynn told stories of their life together in the northern territories. Later, while eating dessert, Jack and Winn talk about being Mounties. Wynn asked if he could go on rounds with Jack so he could see how things were in Hope Valley. Jack readily agreed.

The dinner broke up early. The Thatcher family was tired from their long trip and wanted to go to bed. Jack and Elizabeth said a quick goodnight before Jack escorted Aunt Elizabeth and Uncle Wynn back to the saloon while Elizabeth and Julie walked back to her house.

"Elizabeth," Julie started. "I am not the least bit sleepy. Would you stay up with me so we can talk? Get caught on our lives since we last saw each other?"

Elizabeth wanted to go to sleep but she could she how much her sister wanted to talk. "Of course we can. Let's get ready for bed, I will make some tea and we can talk, in your room if you like. Since neither of us ate dessert, I have some cake left from the party the children gave me yesterday. Would you like a piece?"

"I would love some. Thank, Sister!"

They had now reached the house. Elizabeth started the water for the tea and both sisters went upstairs to change. They meet each other in the hall after putting on their nightgowns. They grinned at each other and went downstairs arm in arm. Julie went to the table while Elizabeth got the tea and cut two slices of cake.

Once Elizabeth had taken a seat Julie spoke. "I am so glad I found the courage to go face Mother and Father, especially Father. When he saw me, I felt he wanted to kill me, he was so angry. Mother made him calm down so I could tell him why I had to leave and start a new life for myself. It was hard to tell them but I felt they were proud with the decisions I made." She giggled a little. "Well, it took Father a little longer to learn to deal with the thought of me taking care of people illnesses. Something a Hamilton Thatcher would never do." She looked at Elizabeth with an amused look on her face. Elizabeth had a similar expression; they both burst out laughing.

"I think I have seen that face." Elizabeth said. "When he realized I love living in Coal Valley. Oh the horror!" The sisters burst out laughing again.

"Anyway, if I hadn't come home when I did, I never would have known about the wedding." She paused, before she spoke again. "I am sorry I didn't send letters to you, Sister. I was afraid if I did, you would feel obligated to tell Father and I didn't want to put you in the middle. Not when things with Jack were going so strong. I wanted you to enjoy your life here and not have to worry about things back in Hamilton."

Elizabeth got up from the table and walked to Julie. She gave her sister a big hug. "Julie, I can't believe how much you have grown since you left home. I have always loved you but this new mature Julie is someone very, very special."

"Awww! Thanks, Sister. I am so happy you said that. Viola doesn't believe I have changed. She thinks I am playing games."

"Well, I hate to say it but that's our older sister. Don't you worry about her. You continue just what you have been doing."

"Do you want to know what my dream job is when I graduate nursing school" Elizabeth shook her head. "I want to come live here, in Hope Valley. I know your doctor doesn't have a nurse. I think it's time he had one."

"That's a great idea. I would love to have you live here." Elizabeth yawned. "I am so sorry, Julie. I have been up since early this morning. I am so tired. Would you mind if we continued this talk tomorrow?

"Not at all, Sister. I am starting to get tired too." They cleaned up the kitchen and walked upstairs to bed. "I love you, Sister"

"I love you too, Julie. I am so happy you could come to the wedding." They hugged and each went into their rooms.


	14. The Happy Day Has Arrived

_Here it is! The wedding is here!_

Elizabeth woke up, stretched and opened her eyes. She looked around her room and saw her wedding dress hanging on her closet door. She let out a little squeal, realizing that this day had finally come. It was June 18th and she was marrying the man she loved, her best friend and partner for life. Suddenly, a knock came at her door.

"Come in, Julie!"

"Happy Wedding Day, Sister!" As Julie bounced into the room. "I heard you squeal a couple of minutes ago. I hope it was a happy one knowing you have finally reached your wedding day."

"Yes, it was, Julie." She reached over to hug her sister. "I can't wait until I become Mrs. Jack Thornton!"

"You know, Sister. I don't think I have ever seen you this happy, not even when we were growing up. I mean, you were a happy child, but here in Hope Valley with your students, the town's people and Jack, you just glow."

"I now know without a doubt that my life path was always to come here. I love this town and the people in it, especially Jack."

"Well, Sister I have some more presents for you." She pulled a box out from behind her and handed it to Elizabeth.

Elizabeth took the box, having a good idea what was in it. "Is this really a gift for me or it is for Jack?" She winked at Julie who winked back.

"Open it and find out."

Inside were two negligees, one looked to be floor length and was dark green with a lacy bodice. "Try it on, Elizabeth. I want to see what it looks like."

Elizabeth pulled off her simple cotton nightgown, and pulled the negligee on over her head. It fit perfectly, hugging her every curve. The neckline was lower than Elizabeth liked, but she loved the length and the color. She knew she would pack it for her honeymoon. She had decided to try to do things that were out of her comfort zone now that she was getting married. After all, being with Jack was going to be a new experience. She reached back into the box and found a black negligee completely covered with lace and falling to just above the knee. She put both negligees back in the box and set it with some of the things she had already put aside to pack. Then she hugged her sister. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Julie smiled and then started to giggle.

"What's so funny, Julie?

"Oh I was just thinking about how not to long ago I would have been standing here begging you to tell me everything that happens on your wedding night and honeymoon. How I would not have given you a moment's peace until you told me. Now, I have come to realize that life is not about romance novels and that there are things people need to keep to themselves."

"Julie, once again you amaze me at how mature you have become. I really like this new side of you, not that I didn't like the old you. Now you are simply amazing."

Julie felt tears in her eyes, "Thank you, Sister. That means a lot." They embraced again only to be interrupted by a knock at the door.

"That must be Mother, Aunt Elizabeth and Abigail." Elizabeth said as she made her way downstairs to open the door. Sure enough, they all came through the door as well as Charlotte.

Abigail set a basket on the table. "I brought over some biscuits, scones and muffins, if anyone is hungry." She then went to the stove to put a kettle on for tea.

"I don't know that I can eat anything. I am nervous." Elizabeth said.

"It's normal to be nervous on your wedding, Elizabeth." Grace said. "You really should have a biscuit or something. Just to have something in your stomach."

"I will, Mother."

After having breakfast, the ladies sat around the table talking. It was too early to start getting ready for the wedding. At one point, Grace stood up and went for her suitcase that she brought with her with her dress and other things for the wedding. She opened it and pulled out a big box.

"Elizabeth, this is for you." She handed the box to her daughter.

Elizabeth tugged at the ribbon and lifted this lid. She pushed back the tissue paper and found a beautiful travel suit. "Oh, Mother, thank you. This is lovely." It was blue and just holding it up to her body brought out the blue in her eyes.

"I thought you would like to wear that when you leave on your honeymoon." Grace said.

"I will, Mother. Thank you."

Aunt Elizabeth pulled a small box out of her bag. "Beth, my sweet, dear Beth. Here is something that can be your something borrowed and something blue." She opened the box to reveal a beautiful sapphire necklace with matching earrings. Elizabeth gasped when she saw them. "Beth, my grandmother, who was also named Elizabeth, wore these on her wedding day. She gave them to me when I married my Wynn. Grandmother told me that she wanted to start a tradition with these jewels. She was hoping Elizabeth would become a family name, used in generation after generation. She never let her own daughters wear them because they were not named Elizabeth. She said that I should keep them until the next Elizabeth in the family gets married. After you take them off, put them in a safe place until the next Elizabeth takes her turn down the aisle." She leaned down to give her niece a kiss."

"Thank you, Auntie. They are so beautiful. I would honored to wear them today." She reached up to give her Aunt a kiss.

Charlotte took Elizabeth's hand and put something in it. "I have a tradition of my own to pass down to you, Elizabeth. Tom's mother gave me that when on my wedding day. Her mother-in-law gave it to her on her special day."

Elizabeth opened her hand and saw a sixpence, for her shoe as the old saying went.  
Elizabeth leaned over to give Charlotte a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you!" She whispered with tears in her eyes. "All these gifts mean something special to me. I am so happy you are here to share Jack's and my special day."

"Ok, let's go over the saying to make sure Elizabeth had everything." Julie said. "Something old would be both the jewels and the sixpence, which is also the something borrowed. Something new would be your wedding dress, Elizabeth." Elizabeth nodded. "The jewels have triple duty as something blue as well as old and borrowed. And last but not least, the sixpence for her show. We have everything." The ladies nodded. "Now sister, let's go up to the bathroom. I brought some bubble bath that smells like a summer garden. Let's get you into the tub for a relaxing bath."

"I don't know if I can relax, but a bath does sound nice." Elizabeth said as she stood from the table. Julie put her around her as they walked up the stairs.

At the jail, things were not going as smoothly for Jack. He was so nervous. He didn't know why; he knew without a shadow of a doubt that Elizabeth was the woman for him. Things had gone so well with the plans for the wedding. A part of him felt something might go wrong and it would be on their wedding day.

Bill, tired of seeing Jack pace around the small jail house, stood up and stopped Jack in his path. "Jack you need to calm down. The wedding isn't for a couple of hours and you are going to wear yourself out with this pacing. That isn't going to do you any good at the wedding or the wedding night." He said with a wink.

"I don't know what's wrong with me, Bill. I love Elizabeth and she loves me. I know she is the one for me. Yet I still feel like something might go wrong. Especially since we haven't had any issues before."

"That's normal, Jack." Bill said. "We all feel nervous on are wedding day. There is no real explanation for it. The only thing to do is to try and calm yourself down."

"I have an idea." Jack and Bill looked at the door to see Wynn Delany standing there. "I can tell you some stories from my time as a Mountie in the Northern Territories. I have lots of them."

Jack nodded his approval to the idea, then pulled out a chair for Wynn to sit on. He took a seat on the cot. He hoped the stories would take his mind off the wedding until it was time to get ready. Amazingly it worked because before he knew it, it was four o'clock. The wedding was in one hour. Time to get ready.

Back at Elizabeth's, it was time to get ready. Julie had changed into her dress in her room before allowing Charlotte to go into to get ready herself. Aunt Elizabeth had used Elizabeth's room while Elizabeth was taking her bath. After Charlotte had changed, it was Abigail's turn, followed by Grace. Now, all the ladies were in Elizabeth's room helping her get ready. Julie worked on her hair. Clara, who had come over closer to the wedding time, was double checking Elizabeth's dress for winkles or anything else that was out of place. She found nothing wrong.

"Ok, Sister! Let's get you in that lovely dress. You have a date at the church with a delectable Mountie in less than an hour." Julie reminded her.

"As if I could forget." Elizabeth said and Julie and Abigail pulled the dress over her head. Julie helped bring it down her body in the front while Abigail worked the buttons in the back. Once the dress was completely in place, Elizabeth turned around so that her mother, aunt and Julie could see the final look. Grace gasped and tears formed in her eyes.

"Mother! What's wrong?"

"Oh, darling! I am fine. You looked so beautiful in that dress. It looks like it was made just for you. Clara, you did a spectacular job on the dress. You have real talent. You could open a dress shop in one of the big cities and would give the other dress shop owners a run for their money!"

"Thank you, Mrs. Thatcher." Clara blushed at the compliment.

"Yes, very talented." Aunt Elizabeth concurred as she walked over to her niece with the necklace in her hand. "Let me help you put the necklace on, just like my grandmother did for me when I married my own handsome Mountie." Elizabeth moved to her mirror to look at herself, while Aunt Elizabeth fastened the necklace. "So beautiful." Her aunt murmured.

"I hope Jack likes my dress."

"He will, Sister, he will. He will be blown away when he sees you."

"Abigail said the same thing last week after I had my final fitting,"

"And mark my works, Elizabeth," Abigail said. "Julie and I will be right." She picked up both bouquets of flowers and started towards the bedroom door. "It's time to leave for the church."

The ladies organized themselves and headed downstairs. Outside, William was waiting in a coach for his daughter along with another one for his wife, other daughter, sister and Abigail. When he saw the door open, he stepped out of the coach and walked up to Elizabeth.

"Elizabeth, you look so pretty today. More beautiful than I have ever seen you. Being in love suits you and I am so sorry I ever tried to keep you from Jack." He felt a tear come to his eye.

"Shhh, Father. There is no need to talk about that. It's in the past. Today is about the future."

William helped her into the carriage then settled in next to her. He took her hand in his and said. "You are right, Elizabeth. Nothing should come in the way of you and Jack's happiness." He signaled for the driver to head to the church.

At the church, Jack was still a little nervous, but as the time grew closer to when the wedding would start, he found the butterflies in his stomach were lessening. Especially when he heard Elizabeth had arrived. Soon, Frank was motioning him and Bill to come stand at the altar. The music began playing and Abigail started down the aisle. He saw Frank give her a quick smile, then his face resumed its serious expression. Jack looked back down the aisle and then he saw her. A vision so beautiful he forgot to breath for a moment. He felt a tear come to his eye. He found it hard to keep from rushing down the aisle to meet her. Somehow he was able to contain himself and wait for William to finish the walk.

Elizabeth couldn't believe how handsome Jack looked in his new suit. She kept finding herself wanting to move faster towards him, but her father continued to move at a slow pace. It seemed like hours before she reached Jack at the altar. She smiled at him through tears of happiness and noted that he had a couple of tears in his eyes.

The music stopped. "Please be seated." Frank told the guests. "Today we are gather here to see Jack and Elizabeth become husband and wife, a family. I don't think anyone here is too surprised that this day has come. From what I have been told from the time before I got here to what I have seen for myself, Jack and Elizabeth were meant for one another, even if they were too stubborn to realize it for themselves." Chuckles were heard throughout the church. "Who gives this woman to be joined in matrimony to this man?

"Her mother and I do." William said. He kissed Elizabeth on the cheek, wished her well in her marriage, and then turned to Jack. "Take care of her, Son." He took his daughter's hand and brought it to Jack's, who held it tightly in his own.

"I will, Sir". William turned to go sit next to his wife and daughter in the front pew.

Elizabeth and Jack stared into each other's eyes. It was as if no one else was there. Truth be told they couldn't remember saying their vows to one another. It was almost as if God was marrying them out in a beautiful field. Before they knew it, Frank had declared them husband and wife.

"You may kiss the bride, Jack."

Jack pulled her face towards his and leaned down for a sweet, gentle kiss. "I love you." He whispered as they parted with their foreheads still touching.

"I love you, too." She whispered back.

They turned to go down the aisle. The guests all jumped to their feet and applauded. As they walked out, they stopped to hug their families, then walked down the steps to the coach that was waiting for them. Jack held out his hand to help Elizabeth into the coach. Once they were settled, he threw his arms around her and gave her a passionate kiss. When he pulled away, he looked at her with all the love he had for her in his eyes. "You look so beautiful; breathtaking."

"Thank you, Jack. You look so very handsome. You took my breath away." She reached up to touch his cheek with her hand. "I am so happy, Jack. So very happy."

Before they knew it, they were at the saloon. It looked beautiful. The tables all had white tablecloths with bouquets of wildflowers in the center. Cat and Molly, who had stood at the back of the church watching the ceremony had rushed over to the saloon right after the kiss to get things started. They were putting out some appetizers Abigail had made for people to eat while Elizabeth and Jack greeted their guests as they walked in. Cat motioned for them to come over.

"I save a plate for you to have a quick bite before the crowd comes in." She handed Jack a plate with cheese and crackers with some fruit. "The wedding was beautiful. You make a beautiful bride, Elizabeth."

"Thank you!" Elizabeth said as Jack handed her a piece of cheese. Soon, they heard people walking up to the café. They moved to take their place near the entrance.

The evening went by quickly. Before they knew it, it was time to cut the cake. They fed it to each other nicely. Toasts were made, the bouquet tossed (Abigail caught it) and then it was time to leave. The night was filled with anticipation and love.


	15. The Wedding Night

Jack took Elizabeth's hand and helped her into the buggy he had rented for the night. He knew some people might think it was foolish to rent the buggy when they were in walking distance of the row house, but Jack didn't care. He felt the buggy ride was a nice, romantic touch. He knew he was right when Elizabeth gave him that bright smile he loved so much. Once she was seated, he walked around the buggy and got in on the other side.

He pulled up in front of what would be their home for a few short months and quickly got out. He tied the horse to the post outside; Bill would be coming by later to bring the horse and buggy back to the livery. He held out his hand for Elizabeth and helped her down. They walked up the stairs together; Jack opened the door and then swept her up in his arms. Elizabeth giggled and gave his a quick kiss on his cheek. Once inside, he set her down then turned to close and lock the door for the night. He picked her up again and carried her upstairs to their bedroom. He gently put her down on the bed and sat next to her. He watched as she looked around the room. He had arraigned to have the room set up romantically; candles burning in various places, rose petals were strewn on the bed, inside a wine bucket a bottle of champagne sat in ice. He wanted this night to be absolutely perfect for his Elizabeth. He knew she probably was little nervous and scared about being with him. Truth be told, he was scared and nervous too; it was his first time as well.

"Oh, Jack! This is beautiful." She felt tears form in her eyes. She was so happy that they were married but she was nervous about the night would bring.

As if he read her mind, he said as he wiped the tears from her face. "We can take things as slow as you want, Sweetheart. Just tell me if you feel things are getting too rushed and we will slow down." He reached to remove the tiara holding her veil in place. He carefully removed her veil and stood to lay it on her dresser. He returned to the bed where he began taking the pins out of her hair. He brush his fingers through her it and let it fall around her shoulders and down her back. He let his fingers run though her hair. "I love to touch your hair." He whispered. It's so soft and smell so good, like a garden of flowers." He leaned in to give her a kiss, gentle at first, then growing in intensity as he heard her moan in pleasure.

Elizabeth pulled away, then rested her forehead against his. "I love you." She whispered.

"I love you too, Sweetheart. I love you so much. I never knew it was possible to love someone this much." He stood from the bed and pulled her up with him. They kissed again, with even more passion than before. "I think we should get you out of this dress. That is, if you are ready. I don't want to rush you." Elizabeth nodded, indicating that she wanted him to help with her dress. He pushed her hair over her shoulder and went to work. "There's a lot of buttons on this dress." He whispered.

When he had opened most of the buttons, Elizabeth went into the bathroom to change. After she closed the door, she leaned back against it and took a deep breath. She was overcome with the depths of her love for him. She was excited and nervous about the night ahead. She slipped out of her dress and undergarments. She had put a negligee in between the towels she had stored on a shelf. She pulled it out of the bag and slipped it on. She felt sure that Jack would like it; it was almost the same shade of blue as her eyes. She reached for her brush and fixed her hair. She took a deep breath and opened the door to what would now be their bedroom.

While waiting for Elizabeth, Jack had pulled back the bed linens, taken off his jacket and tie and pushed his sleeves up. He looked up as he heard the bathroom door open. Before him was a vision so breathtaking; Elizabeth was wearing a beautiful negligee the color of her eyes, with a lace bodice. It fell to just above her knees. Jack had never seen anything or anyone so beautiful. Jack felt tears come to his eyes. What had he done to get such a wonderful, thoughtful, caring, gorgeous woman in his life? He slowly walked towards her; "Elizabeth," he whispered. "You are so beautiful." When he reached her, he pulled her close to him so he could kiss her. She pulled away slightly to start unbuttoning his shirt. He was surprised but happy by her boldness. Once his shirt was unbuttoned, Elizabeth pushed it over his shoulders and let it drop on the floor. He then gently took her in his arms and carried her to their bed. Still a little nervous and unsure of things in this new situation, she turned away while he removed his pants.

Jack climbed into to bed and reached for her. They started kissing, gentle at first, then growing in intensity. Jack pushed the straps down on her negligee, lifted her arms up and slipped it off her body. His hand began exploring her, kissing and touching her. Hesitant, Elizabeth began an exploration of her own, culminating in her pulling his head down to kiss him passionately. Jack rolled himself over her, feeling her body rise to his and knowing she was ready. They gave themselves up for the first time as husband and wife, loving each other all through the night.

Early the next morning, Elizabeth woke up first, with Jack's arm wrapped tightly around her. She slipped out of his embrace and went to her desk to write in her journal. She wanted to get her thoughts down about her wedding night and her new found feeling of being close to her husband. Once she was done, she watched Jack sleep; he was so handsome even at rest. She walked back to bed and slid in beside him, putting his arm back around her. The motion woke him up; "Good morning, Sweetheart! I love you!" He whispered as he started to kiss her neck and shoulders. She moaned and turned over to face him. Her lips found his and they began to kiss passionately. He rolled on top of her and continued to kiss her. She put her arms around his back and began massaging the strong muscles. Jack moaned, loving the feeling of her hands kneading his back. He moved closer to her and soon they became one.

They collapsed on the bed, spent but happy. Elizabeth moved to put her head on Jack's chest. He put his arm around her and pulled her closer to him. "I love you so much, Elizabeth." He whispered.

"I love you too, Jack. With all my heart. My heart is yours forever."

Jack felt a tear come to his eye. He wondered if any man had a right to be this happy.

"Are you hungry?" Elizabeth asked. Jack raised his eyebrow at her. She giggled. "For food, I mean."

"I am." Elizabeth started to get up but Jack stopped her. "You stay here. I will make breakfast for both of us to share in bed."

"Oh, Jack! That sounds great. Especially the eating in bed part." She winked at him. Jack smiled as he walked towards door. He winked back at her before walking downstairs to the kitchen.

He started some coffee, then checked the contents of the icebox. He knew Abigail had dropped off some food yesterday to keep them tied over until they left for their honeymoon tomorrow. He found some eggs, bacon and some strawberries. He also saw two plates of pot roast with mashed potatoes for their dinner. He found biscuits and scones in a basket on the counter as well has a couple of slices of apple pie. _"Perfect"_ he thought to himself as he pulled a bowl from the cupboard and began making the eggs.

Upstairs, Elizabeth got out of bed and put her negligee back on. She was not comfortable enough with Jack yet to eat breakfast without her clothes on. She went to the bathroom to freshen up and brush her hair. She put some perfume on behind her ears and on her wrists. She decided to start packing her suitcase for their honeymoon. She went to her dresser and pulled out more lingerie, presents for her from Julie but truth be told they would be gifts for Jack. Elizabeth was nervous about putting them on; they were a bit more revealing than she would have picked, but she was willing to try them. She had decided that now that she was married she would try new things.

She heard Jack coming up the stairs. She quickly closed her suitcase and walked back to bed. He entered the room just as she was pulling the covers back up. Jack placed the tray in front of her, noticing that she had put the negligee back on. He figured she was still nervous being around him in an intimate way. He didn't mind; he knew she would become comfortable in time. Besides, it would be fun for him to remove it again. He jumped into bed beside her. "Eat up, Sweetheart." He up a strawberry and fed it to her.

"Mmmm" she said after biting into the berry. She then picked one up and fed it to Jack. The little game continued the rest of the meal. After they were finished, Jack put the tray on the floor, then pulled Elizabeth into his arms. At this moment, he was quite content to hold her. He was so happy that they were married and couldn't wait for their lives to continue as a married couple.

They held each other for a long time, occasionally kissing and remembering their wedding. Then Elizabeth sat up. "Jack, I feel like taking a bath. Would you join me?" She gave him a sultry smile.

"I would love to. Let me go start the water." He walked into the bathroom to get the bath going. He noticed that she had some bubble bath sitting on the shelf. He opened the bottle and smelled it. The pleasant smell of apple greeted his nostrils. _"Now I know why she sometimes smells of apple."_ He thought.

At that moment, Elizabeth walked into the bathroom. She looked over at the tub. "Ahh, you found the bubble bath. I meant to ask you to put some in." She removed her robe and slipped into the tub. Jack climbed in behind her and pulled her towards his chest. He gently rubbed her neck, shoulders and arms. She started lightly massaging his legs, not sure if he would like it. When he moaned in pleasure, she continued, with a slightly harder touch. Soon, they were both lost, enjoying the massaging of each other. Elizabeth abruptly stopped what she was doing and moved in the water to face him. She slowly moved her face towards him, culminating in her lips touching his. The kiss was soft at first, then grew in intensity. He put his arm around her neck and ran his fingers into her hair. His body became alive at the feeling of her lips, the way she touched him.

"Elizabeth," he whispered, his voice rough with passion. "Let's take this back to bed." She nodded and watched him climb out of the tub. He had such a nice body, she couldn't help but stare until he wrapped a towel around himself. Then he held out his hand for her and helped her out, where he took a towel and started drying her. She felt heat rush through her body; she found it hard to believe that the simple act of drying her off would make her feel this way, so sensual. She rather enjoyed it. She stood on her toes to give him a passionate kiss; he then dropped the towels, pick her up in his arms and brought her to bed.

"Love me, Jack." She whispered. "You make me come alive when you kiss me and massage me."

Jack's heart sang as he made love to her. He was so happy that she seemed to be getting used to this new experience quickly. He loved how bold she was in the privacy of their bedroom. He continued to kiss her, up and down her body, while she did the same until they became one.

 _The honeymoon trip is next!_


	16. Welcome to the Honeymoon

Elizabeth woke up early the next morning. Jack's arm was once again firmly around her. This was a new experience she could definitely get used to. She felt so safe and loved in his arms. Really loved, as she remembered the day of love they had yesterday. She couldn't wait to continue the honeymoon when they arrived in Banff later that day. She wanted to get up to pack a few last minute items but she was too comfortable in his arms. She decided to stay just where she was for a few more minutes. Soon, she felt Jack starting to stir and she moved her body in his arm so she could be facing him when he woke up.

Jack opened his eyes and looked at her with a smile. "What a nice view to wake up to in the morning." He leaned over to kiss her softly.

"Yes it is." She replied as she reciprocated the kiss, only more passionate. She felt a fire start to burn inside her as she kissed him. She knew Jack felt the same as he put both arms around her and rolled her on her back. They began exploring each other, enjoying the feel of the other one. Once again, they became one.

A short time later, they got out of bed. They needed to get dressed and have some breakfast before leaving for town. They had to leave on the morning stagecoach that would take them to the train. Soon, they were on their way to town. Abigail was waiting for them by the stagecoach with a basket of goodies she had packed for them. They thanked her, gave her a quick hug and said they would see her in a week.

It was a long trip. They were grateful for the food Abigail had packed. They chatted about what things they might like to see and do while in Banff. Finally around five o'clock, the train pulled into the station near Banff. Even as tired as they were, their faces showed the excitement of what was to come. They found the coach that would take them to the resort hotel. When they arrived, they walked up to the front desk to register for their room.

The clerk at the desk and gave them a big smile. "Welcome to Banff. Do you have a reservation?"

"Yes, we do, under the name Thornton." Jack said.

The clerk looked through the register. When he found their name he said. "Ah, yes. Thornton. You have the honeymoon suite."

Jack and Elizabeth looked at each other, confused. They had booked a regular room, not the honeymoon suite. Seeing their confusion, the clerk replied. He handed them a letter. "This may explain things."

Jack looked at the envelope, then handed it to Elizabeth. The letter had their name on it written in her father's handwriting. Elizabeth opened the letter and read it.

 _Dear Elizabeth and Jack,_

 _I still feel so bad about how I treated Jack when you were courting. I feel like I haven't made up enough for it. I contacted the hotel to upgrade your room to the honeymoon suite. Also included is dinner in their four star restaurant. Enjoy this special time together._

 _Love,_

 _Father_

Elizabeth felt a tear come to her eye as she handed the letter to Jack. She watched him while he read it. He smiled, then said. "He didn't have to do this but since he did, let's enjoy it." He winked at her.

The clerk gave them their key and directions to their room. They rode the elevator, wondering what they would find in their suite. They found the room and Jack opened the door. He put their bags inside then picked her up and carried her over the threshold. She was laughing as he put down. She looked around the room and gasped.

"Jack, look at this room. It's beautiful." It was a big room, with a couch in front of a fire place, a balcony, and a king sized bed. Elizabeth walked towards the balcony, opened the door and looked out. "Jack!" She called and he hurried to join her. "Look at this view. It's amazing!" They had a view of the mountains and one of the springs.

"Yes, the view is amazing." Jack said but he wasn't referring to the landscape.

Elizabeth turned to kiss him and realized he was referring to her. She gave him a playful shove. He laughed and then leaned into kiss her. He pulled her back into their room and kissed her again. She pulled away from him and said. "Jack, I know what I would like to do for tonight."

"What is it?" Not sure what she was going to say. He hoped she didn't want to go exploring anywhere. He was tired and just wanted to spend a quiet evening in their room with her.

"Well, I am tired, it's been a long day. And I am hungry. How about we order room service, maybe take a bath and relax or whatever in bed."

"I like that idea very much." He returned the look. He got up and looked for the room service menu. He found it, they decided on what they wanted and Jack placed the order. While they waited for their food, they unpacked. Elizabeth went towards the bathroom with some of her things. She was amazed at what she saw in the bathroom and called Jack over.

"What is it, Sweetheart?" He asked as he walked in. He followed the finger she was pointing to a large, square bathtub, more than big enough for two. "I think we can definitely make use of that tub while we are here. Starting tonight." He spotted bottles on a little tray by the tub. Upon inspection, they were different scented bubble baths. He walked over to the tray and picked up each bottle to test them out. "I like this one." He said and handed a bottle to Elizabeth.

She looked at the bottle. It said Vanilla. She took a whiff. "It smells wonderful." She agreed. "After dinner, we can relax in here."

"Glad we are on the same page." He winked at her. They heard a knock on the door. "Must be our dinner." Jack opened the door to find a hotel employee a tray. Jack stepped aside to let the man in and watched as he put the tray on the table in the room. Jack signed the check and closed the door behind the employee

Elizabeth joined Jack in the main room. "Mmmm… Smells delicious." She walked over to the table to sit down. They enjoyed a delicious meal while talking about their relationship together and where they hoped life would take them now that they were married. "Jack?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes?" He reached across the table and took her hand.

"I know we talked about having children, but we never said if we wanted them right away or if we wanted to settle in to being married first. I would love to have a baby right away but I also know that a baby will come when it is what God has in mind for us."

Jack picked the hand he was holding and brought it to his lips. "That's how I feel. If you were to get pregnant now or two years from now, it doesn't matter. If God's choice."

"I am glad we agree." She noted that they had both finished eating. "My love, are you ready to take that bath with me?"

"I most certainly am. I will go start the water and add the bubbles."

While Jack was getting things started in the bathroom, Elizabeth started to undress. She pulled her bathrobe out of her suitcase. While she loved her Jack with everything in her and she was becoming more comfortable with making love, she was exhausted tonight. She didn't feel she could do anything more than take the bath and then get into bed with his arms around her. She hoped he wouldn't be disappointed.

Just then, Jack walked out of the bathroom. "The tub is filling." He took her hand and pulled her to the bed. "Elizabeth, I was doing some thinking in there. I love you ridiculously much and I love our new closeness with each other, but it's been a long day. Would you be ok with taking our bath and cuddling in bed?" He looked at her nervously.

She let out a breath and took his hand. "I would be perfectly fine with that. I was just standing here trying to figure out the best way to say what you just did." She took him in her arms and gave him a sweet kiss. She stood and pulled Jack by his hand towards the bathroom. She removed her robe and got in the tub while Jack undressed. He got in behind her and pulled her back towards his chest. He gently massaged her shoulders while she drew lazy circles on his upper legs. Soon, they both felt themselves getting sleepy. They quickly dried off and settled into bed. Jack put his arms around her and both were asleep within minutes.

The next morning, Jack woke up first. He remained where he was, watching his beautiful wife sleep in his arms. He was content to just be there holding her in his arms. He remained there for several minutes before he decided to get up. He wanted to check the room service menu for what they have for breakfast.

As he sat down at the table to read the menu, Elizabeth started to stir. She let out a little moan as she stretched, causing Jack to look up. He smiled at her when her eyes met his. Bringing the menu with him, he walked back to the bed and sat down next to her. "I thought it would be fun to try a room service breakfast. We could have it in bed." He leaned over and kissed her.

"That sounds heavenly, Jack." She patted the spot on the bed next to her so they could look at the menu together. They decided what they wanted and put the order in. Soon, they were eating said breakfast. While they were eating, they talked about what they might what to do that day. "Jack, I would like to go on a hike."

"That sounds nice. We should go down to the clothing store in the lobby. You are going to need something different to wear."

"Yes. I saw some women in the lobby yesterday were wearing split skirts and hiking boots. I will go clean up, get dressed and head down to the store."

Jack nodded. "While you are doing that, I will make arrangements with the restaurant to make us a picnic and find out what the best path is for the hiking."

They dressed and went about getting things ready for their hike. Elizabeth found what she needed in ten minutes and was back in the room and changed before Jack returned. When Jack came back, she was ready to go.

The walk to the hiking path was lovely. Once they found the path, Jack help her up as they went along. After a couple of hours, they made it to a summit that had a gorgeous view of the hotel property. "Oh, Jack, this view is spectacular. How about we eat our lunch here?"

"Sounds good." Jack opened the basket and pulled out a red checkered blanket. He spread it out, while Elizabeth started pulling out sandwiches. They had a wonderful lunch, looking at the view and being with each other.

After they finished eating, Jack decided he wanted to go back down the trail and return to the hotel. While he had been getting their picnic lunch, he made reservations for one of the restaurants for dinner, followed by dancing in one of the hotel ballrooms. "Elizabeth, I made plans for us tonight, dinner and dancing." He had said as they packed up the remains of the lunch.

"You did?" Elizabeth asked, excited. "I had Clara make me a ball gown but I kept changing my mind if I wanted to bring it. Thank heavens I did." Her face was bright with anticipation of a romantic evening. "Let's hurry back to our room. We should take a bath before we get ready."

"Not so fast, Elizabeth. We need to go slowly down so we don't get hurt."

She nodded. "I know. I just got excited about our evening tonight."

Jack laughed. Her happiness was catching. It was all he could do to contain himself from going down faster, too, but he managed. Around four o'clock, they arrived back in their room. Jack pulled her into his arms after he shut the door and kiss her passionately, something he had wanted to do since this morning when they left on their hike. "You know," he whispered in her ear, the proceeded to kiss her ear lobe. "Our reservation isn't until seven." He kissed her down her throat, causing her to moan. He let the thought hang out there. He wasn't disappointed. She began unbuttoning his shirt, kissing her way down his chest. When she slipped his shirt off, he unbuttoned her blouse, removing it from her body before dropping it on the floor. He reached around her waist to unzip her split pants, letting them fall to the floor. He helped her step out of them and when he looked up, he noticed she wasn't wearing a corset. She had on a camisole set in light green. "You looked extraordinary." He whispered as he picked her up and carried her to their bed. He then took off his pants and joined her under the covers. Their passion lit a fire in both of them until they both collapsed on the bed. He put his arms around her and they cuddled until it was time to get ready for dinner. They had just spent a wonderful first day of their honeymoon trip together and hoped it would be just as wonderful that night.


	17. Baby News

Several months had passed since Jack and Elizabeth returned from their honeymoon. They had moved into their new home in July. They enjoyed many a night watching the sunset or having a romantic evening picnics by the pond. Soon it was September and Elizabeth was back to school. Jack had to go to Calgary to help with a robbery case there. Every day he was away, he missed her. At night, he would dream of the moment when he returned home to her. Life was good and he counted his blessings every day.

Lately though, Jack was worried about her. She hadn't been feeling well; she was often ill in the mornings and multiple times he had come home to find her asleep on the sofa. When she would get up, she would feel dizzy. He had been begging her to go see the doctor, but she kept saying she was fine. He was ready to drag her to the doctor's kicking and screaming if he had to. He had this horrible feeling that something was terribly wrong. He made up his mind that he was going to sit her down that evening and insist she go get seen.

Elizabeth had just dismissed the students. She sat at her desk for a moment, feeling exhausted. She had been feeling poorly lately, but she had a feeling she knew what it was. She had wanted to wait to see the doctor until she had more symptoms. She pushed her chair back and stood, only to sit down again when she felt dizzy. That was it. She was going to see Dr. Matthews right now. She rose from her chair more slowly this time, relieved that she did not feel dizzy. She grabbed her basket and made her way to town. She hoped that Jack was still out on his afternoon rounds and would not see her going to the doctor's. She knew he was worried about her; he had been begging her to go see the doctor. She had a feeling he was going to throw her over his shoulder and take her to the doctor if she didn't go on her own.

She reached the building Dr. Matthews' office was in and quickly looked up and down the street. It was unusually empty for this time of day. The good news was she didn't see Jack or anyone who might tell Jack she was seen going to the doctor. She walked up the stairs and knocked on the door before opening it and peeking in. "Dr. Matthews?"

"Good afternoon, Elizabeth. What brings you to my door today?" He was at the desk in the outer office and motioned for her to take a seat.

She closed the door then went to sit down. "Well, Doctor, I have, um, been feeling under the weather lately. I wanted to get checked out."

"Of course, let's go into an exam room." He led the way and soon she was sitting on an exam table. "What have your symptoms been?

"Well, I have been nauseous a lot, mostly in the morning, I am really tired and sometimes I get dizzy." She was a little embarrassed to admit to him that her cycle was late. Then she chastised herself for being embarrassed; he was a doctor, he knows about the female cycle.

"Mmhmm. When was your last cycle?"

"Over two months ago. I think I may be pregnant." She finally admitted.

"Well, that is the conclusion I would have based on your symptoms. Would you mind if I gave you a quick exam?" He motioned towards her abdomen.

"Not at all." She leaned back on the table. She held her breath while he touched her. She watched his face and noticed a smile appear.

"Well, Elizabeth, congratulations are in order. You are definitely pregnant. I would say about two months along." He help her up from her lying position.

Her face lit up when she heard the news. "Thank you, Dr. Matthews. I can't wait to tell Jack."

"You're welcome. Now I want to see you once a month for right now. Later on, I will want to see you more often, as you get farther into the pregnancy. How bad is the morning sickness? You mentioned feeling nauseous. Are you just feeling sick or are you vomiting?

"I have been vomiting. I don't think it's too bad. Just annoying."

"Get up slowly in the morning. Don't jump right out of bed. Have some dry toast with mint or ginger tea. Crackers also help. That should settle your stomach down. After that, try to eat small snacks during the day. If the nausea and vomiting continue, come back to me. I have some medication that will relieve it."

"Thank you, Dr. Matthews." She rushed out the door, her mind whirling in a hundred directions. She had to decide how to tell Jack when he got home. She was thinking about making him a special meal as she walked down the stairs. She turned to go to the mercantile when she heard her name being called by a familiar voice. She turned and saw Jack running to her, with a worried look on his face. _So much for my special dinner. Maybe the way to tell him is to go to our special place by the pond_ she thought. As he reached her she gave him a big smile.

"Elizabeth! Did I just see you come out of the doctor's office? What did he say? Please tell me!" He begged.

"Slow down, Jack. Yes, I did see Dr. Matthews. Let's go to the bench where you proposed to me and I will tell you about my visit."

He looked at her strangely, but nodded his head. "Let me go tell Bill I am leaving for the day."

Once they sat down at the bench, he turned to her. "What is going on, Elizabeth? You are scaring me! Please tell me what the doctor said!" He was pleading with her, with tears in his eyes. He thought for sure she was going to tell him she was dying. _Please, Lord. Don't take her away from me. We have only had a few months together. I need her, Lord._ He thought.

Elizabeth brought one hand to his face and caressed it. She took his hand in hers and opened her mouth to speak. "Jack, please don't be scared. There is no need to be. Nothing is wrong with me that nine months won't cure." She took the hand she was holding and brought it to her abdomen.

Jack looked down at his hand and then back up to her face as the words she said sank in. _Nothing wrong that nine months won't cure? Could that mean what he thought?_ He looked at his hand once more. "You're pregnant?" He whispered in awe. She nodded yes with tears in her eyes. He felt his frightened tears change to tears of joy as he smiled, then gently took her in his arms and kissed her. "Sweetheart, you just made me the happiest man in the world." He put his hand back on her abdomen. "I can't believe it. We are having a baby!" He kissed her again.

"I know. I suspected I might be pregnant but I still couldn't believe it when Dr. Matthews confirmed it."

"Wait, you thought you might be pregnant and you didn't say anything to me? I have been so worried about you. I could have gone with you to see the doctor."

Elizabeth realized what a mistake she just made telling him she thought she might be pregnant. "I'm sorry, Jack. I didn't want to say anything to you until I knew for sure. I didn't want to get your hopes up. I don't think I could have handled seeing your disappointment if I had to tell you I was wrong."

Jack took her hands. "Elizabeth, what about how disappointed you would have been? We are in this together. We would have comforted each other."

"Thank you, Jack, for saying that." She brought a hand to his cheek and stroked it. "There was another reason too. Ever since I was a little girl, I have dreamed of how I would tell my husband we were having a baby. I had several scenarios planed out."

"You did? Did I spoil your plans when I saw you leaving the doctor's?"

"A little, I guess but I wouldn't trade how I did end up telling you for anything in the world. It was spontaneous and perfect."

"It was. However, I am curious. Had you decided how you were going to tell me?"

"Yes. I was heading to the Mercantile to buy the makings for a special dinner tonight when you saw me."

"Well we could go have a celebration dinner at Abigail's if you want. I am sure you want to tell her our news"

"Actually, Jack I would rather go home. I want to celebrate with just you tonight. I have the makings for chicken pot pie already at home. We can just have that."

"Sounds good, but I am going to make it." He said as he gently pulled her up and put his arm around her waist. "I am going to pamper you tonight."

"Tonight? Why do I have the feeling you will pamper me and be over protective of me for the remainder of the pregnancy." She teased.

Jack laughed. "You know me too well, Elizabeth." He kissed her on the cheek as they made their way home. Soon they were approaching the steps to their front porch. Jack put his arm around her more tightly than before, as if he were afraid she would fall. Elizabeth smiled at the gesture. She knew at some point his over protectiveness would annoy her but for now it was sweet.

Once they were inside, she turned to Jack. "My love, would you have a problem if I changed into my nightgown early? I feel the need to get comfortable."

He brushed a kiss on her forehead. "Not at all, Sweetheart. I am going to start dinner." He held her hand for a moment longer, then head to the kitchen.

Elizabeth walked to their bedroom. She headed to her dresser and pulled out a nightgown. She needed to get out of her corset. It had been tight to put on this morning; no doubt from the fact that she noticed her bust was getting bigger. They were also tender to the touch. Tomorrow she was going to wear a camisole and pantalets set Julie had sent her. It would be much more comfortable than her corset. Once she had changed, she went to sit on their bed. She grabbed her journal and started to write down her thoughts from the day. Soon, however, she found her eyelids drooping and she fell asleep.

Jack put the pie in the oven and walked out of the kitchen. He was wondering where Elizabeth was. He thought for sure she would poke her head in to see how he was doing. He went to their office to see if she was in there reading. It was Friday so she wouldn't be grading papers. He was surprised to find the room empty. He moved on to the bedroom to change his clothes and that's where he found her. She was asleep in their bed, with her journal on lap. _She is even more beautiful than ever. It's true what they say about a pregnant woman glowing._ He changed out of his uniform then walked over to her side of the bed and removed the journal.

The movement woke her up. She opened her eyes to see him putting her closed journal in the drawer she kept it in. "Oh my!" She said as she wiped her eyes. "I fell asleep again."

He turned to her and picked up her hand, bringing it to his lips. "You must need the rest." He got up and walked around to his side of the bed. He got in and pulled her towards him. She rested her head on his chest while he held her. "Dinner is in the oven. We have some time to talk for a while, unless you would rather sleep."

She shook her head. "I don't want to get too much sleep now because I won't be able to fall asleep later. I am quite content just lying here in your arms and talking." She moved her head to kiss him.

"I am too." He began stroking her arm. "I still can't believe it. A baby. We are having a baby. I keep hearing how you told me in my mind and I still can't get over it."

"I know, but just wait until tomorrow morning when I am sick. It will seem all too real to me then." She pushed herself up on her elbow and kissed him on the cheek.

He looked at her with sympathy and even a little worry in his eyes. "I wish I could help you with that. Since I can't, I am going to help you with other things, like the housework and cooking meals. You have the hard job in carrying the baby. The least I can do is help you out in other areas."

"Thank you, Jack, but I am just pregnant. I can still do things around the house."

"Elizabeth, please. I just want to make things a little easier for you now. You are on your feet all day teaching. There is no need to come home and do housework."

"Jack, I don't mind. Besides, you have a job too, one that sometimes keeps you at the jail late and takes you out of town. Would you really want to come home to no dinner on one of those late nights or home to a house that hasn't been cleaned while you were away?"

"No, I guess not."

"How about a compromise? I will do light housekeeping, leaving heavier jobs for you. We can even share the cooking. If you can get of early, then you handle dinner otherwise I will take care of it."

"I can live with that." Jack said as he leaned down to kiss her. He put his hand on her stomach again, shaking his head a little. "I keep saying this but I can't help it. I still can't believe it. A baby." He looked pensive for a moment. "Sweetheart, when is our little one going to arrive?"

"Dr. Matthews said about seven months."

"I can't wait to see our baby."

"Me either."

Jack sat up in bed, then moved to her stomach. "Hi there, Little One. I am your daddy. I can't wait to meet you."

Elizabeth felt tears come to her eyes as she watched Jack talking to the baby. Jack looked up at her to see her brushing the tears from her cheeks. He moved back up to hold her.

"Are you ok?" He asked.

She nodded. "I am fine. More than fine. I am the happiest woman in the world today."

Jack grinned. He took her hand and helped her sit up. "I think dinner is ready. We need to get some food into you. No skipping meals for you." They walked to the kitchen and had their dinner.


	18. Morning sickness and baby plans

Jack Deals with Pregnancy Symptoms

The next morning, Jack woke up early. He sat up in bed and watched Elizabeth sleep. She looked like an angel; so beautiful. He thought back to yesterday, remembering every word she said to him when she told him about the baby. He was glad Elizabeth had wanted to wait to tell Abigail about the baby. They had a nice, quiet evening after dinner, just holding each other and talking. Elizabeth had fallen asleep in his arms. It had been early for her, but he knew she must need the sleep. He stayed up a little longer, making plans for today. He wanted to make her breakfast in bed and then he was going to spoil for the remainder of the day. He knew she would probably protest, but he didn't care. She deserved to be pampered.

He leaned over to give her a kiss, then got out of bed and dressed for the day. He paused in the doorway to look at her again then walked to the kitchen to make her breakfast. At first he couldn't decide if he should make her eggs or pancakes. Suddenly he had a thought; he would make her both. She needed to have a good breakfast now that she was eating for two. He went to the cupboards to get the ingredients.

In the bedroom, Elizabeth slowly woke up. She stretched, then started to get out of bed when the nausea hit her head on. She reached over to her nightstand and pulled out the crackers she had put there the night before. She started nibbling, hoping the doctor was right and she would feel better soon.

Her stomach was not settling; she needed some tea. She didn't know where Jack was, so she slowly got out of bed and made her way to the kitchen. As she got closer, her nose was hit with the most awful smell. She felt her stomach turn over. Jack must be making breakfast but there was no way she could eat. She continued her way to the kitchen hoping she could get Jack to make her some tea. As she got closer, she felt whatever food she had left in her stomach start to rise in her throat. She turned and made a mad dash to the bathroom, making it just in time.

Jack entered their bedroom with the breakfast tray and was surprised to not see Elizabeth in bed. He put the tray down and was about to call out to her, when he heard the sounds of retching coming from the bathroom. He rushed to her side, pulling her hair back while she vomited.

"Jack," She gasped. "Please go away. I don't want you to see me this way."

"Not a chance. We are in this together. In sickness and in health." He rubbed her back.

A few minutes later, she sat down on the bathroom floor, hoping she was done. Jack stood and grabbed a face cloth, wetting it with some water and returned to her side, sitting down next to her where he began to wipe her face. She looked unusually pale. He felt his own stomach churn, thinking about what she must be feeling and wishing he could help her.

"Despite what I said before, thank you, Jack." She said as she leaned into his embrace.

"Of course. I will always help if I am here when you get sick. You shouldn't have to go through it alone if you don't have to." He paused. "You should go back to bed. Do you feel like you can get up if I help you?" She nodded and he gently pulled her up. "I have some breakfast for you."

"Jack, I can't possibly eat that right now. I had come downstairs to start some tea for myself because of my upset tummy and I smelled the eggs you were cooking. That is what caused me to vomit."

"Oh, no! Wait here for a couple of minutes." He started for the door.

"Why?"

"I brought you up a tray so you could have breakfast in bed. If the eggs bothered you, then I need to get them out of the bedroom before you go back in."

"Thank you, Jack."

"Is there anything I can get you? You mentioned tea. Would you like me to bring you a cup?"

"Yes, please. I would appreciate it. I have some mint tea in the cupboard." He nodded. "Jack?"

"What is it, Sweetheart?"

"Dr. Matthews said to try eating dry toast to settle the stomach. Would you make me some while you are getting my tea?

"Of course, Sweetheart." He left the bathroom. She waited a few minutes and then returned to bed. The smell of the eggs lingered a little but she didn't feel as sick as before. She slid between the covers, leaned her head back on her pillow and closed her eyes.

In the kitchen, Jack started water for the tea and sat down at the table while he waited. He was thinking about Elizabeth. This was the worst he had seen her with the morning sickness so far. It worried him; he wasn't sure he liked the idea of her just eating dry toast for breakfast. Then he remember when he had stomach bugs when he was a kid, his mother would make him toast to eat. That made him feel better. Maybe later on, she would feel up to eating something more substantial.

A few minutes later, he was walking into their bedroom with the tray, this time containing tea and toast. He thought she was asleep and was tempted to wake her, but she must have heard him as she opened her eyes. He walked over to the bed, put the tray down and help her to sit up.

"Thank you, Jack." She said as she picked up a piece of toast. He watched as she nibbled on it. "I am hoping that this will settle my tummy and later I can have something more substantial to eat."

Jack smiled. That was exactly what he was hoping. He was glad they were on the same page. He walked to his side of the bed and got in. As soon as she was done with her toast, he moved the tray and put his arms around her, pulling her close. He heard her let out a soft moan. "Are you ok?" He asked her with concern in his voice.

She looked up at him and smiled. "Yes, Jack. My stomach is settling down. I am just happy to be here in the warm comfort of your arms." She thought about something for a minute. "Not that I am complaining having you around this morning, but don't you have rounds to do?"

Jack frowned slightly. "Yes I do. I was hoping to delay it a little longer, but maybe I should go now. The sooner rounds are done the sooner I can come home." He gave her a kiss and got out of bed.

"Exactly what I was thinking." Elizabeth replied. "Jack?"

"Yes, Sweetheart?"

"I think I would rather stay home today instead of going to Abigail's to tell her our news. I feel like keeping it to ourselves one more day. She invited us for Sunday dinner tomorrow, we can tell her then."

"All right, that sounds like a plan. Do you want me to stop at the café and get dinner for us tonight? I promise I won't say anything."

"That sounds good. "

Jack walked back over to her. "I love you, both of you." He said as he put a hand on her abdomen. "Get some rest while I am at work. I will see you later." He kissed her then left their bedroom. A moment later, she heard the front door shut. She laid back on the bed intending to only close her eyes for a few minutes. Soon, she was in a deep sleep.

Jack hummed to himself on the ride into town. He was so happy and so blessed. To love and be loved by a wonderful woman who was now giving him the greatest gift of all: a child. He smiled to himself as he began making pictures in his mind of having a beautiful little girl with her mother's blue eyes and his dimpled smile. He felt for sure they would be having a girl but even if they had a boy he would be equally happy and blessed. As he approached the town he realized he should wipe the big grin off his face for now, so their friends would not expect anything yet.

Elizabeth woke up and looked at the clock. It was after twelve. She had slept for another two hours. She really must have needed it. She sat up in bed and felt a little sick to her stomach. She grabbed her crackers and nibbled on them. Soon, she was feeling well enough to get out of bed, but she decided to stay in her nightgown. She had no plans to go anywhere today and if she needed another nap, she would at least be comfortable.

Elizabeth went to the living room and opened her craft basket. She wanted to take stock of what yarn she had and look through catalogs for things she might be able to make for the baby. She knew it was early to be thinking about this but her excitement over the baby won out over her rational mind that said to wait a few months. She found several skeins of a yarn with different shades of green in it. She felt there was enough for a blanket. She looked through her pattern book, selected one and got to work.

About an hour later, she began to feel hungry so she took a break to get something to eat. She was in the kitchen eating some cheese and apple slices when she heard the front door open. She was surprised Jack was so soon. Then again she wasn't. She remembered how he looked when he left earlier. He had not wanted to go. She was about to call out to him when he entered the kitchen, carrying a basket that she knew was from the café.

He felt his heart skip a beat, like it always does when he saw her. "Hi, Sweetheart! I see you must be feeling better since you are having a snack." He put their dinners in the ice box, grabbed an apple for himself and sat down at the table with her.

"Yes, I am feeling better. I don't have a big appetite but when I got hungry a few minutes ago, I decided to eat. I didn't want to risk getting sick again."

"I am glad. I was a little worried this morning when all you wanted was toast. Then I remembered my mother giving me toast whenever I had an upset tummy." He reached for her hand and noticed she was still wearing her nightgown.

Elizabeth noticed he was frowning when he saw her in her nightgown. She took his hand in hers. "Nothing is wrong, Jack. I fell back to sleep after you left, for two hours. When I got up I decided I didn't feel like getting dressed today. We didn't have plans to go anywhere and I thought if I had to take another nap, it would be easier if I was comfortable." Jack let out a sigh of relief. "You know, Jack, you are going to drive yourself crazy if you worry about every little thing. There are going to be times that I won't feel well and may want to stay in my nightgown. It doesn't mean something is wrong." She squeezed his hand, letting him know she wasn't mad, just concerned.

Jack gave her a sheepish grin. "Ok, Elizabeth. I see what you are getting at, but it is going to be hard for me not to worry about you, both of you. But I understand your point. I will try to hold it back."

"And I promise to let you know if I feel like something is wrong. There is no way I would risk our baby's life, or my own if I feel like something may be wrong."

"I can live with that." He brought her hand and raised it to his lips. He noted that her plate was empty. "Did you want anything else to eat?" She shook her head no and he picked up her plate to bring it to the sink.

She got up from the table. "Want to join me in the living room for a while?"

"Sure." He walked over to her and put his arm around her waist.

When they entered the living room, she sat down on the sofa where she had been knitting. She put the started blanket in her lap, then patted to the spot next to her for him to sit. "Want to see what I started working on while you were out?"

He nodded and took his place next to her. She put the blanket in his lap. It wasn't much yet but he got a good idea of what it was. It looked to him to be a blanket, one for a baby. "You are making this for our baby?" She nodded. "It's beautiful. I mean, I know you just started it, but I mean the colors are nice. I like the greens. More neutral than making a pink or blue blanket."

"That was my plan. I thought I had yarn in shades of yellow too, but I didn't have enough to make a blanket. I can order some if I decide I want to make another one. I may not because I expect people will give us lots of things for the baby. Plus it's still early in the pregnancy. I don't want to get too carried away with making things in case something happens." She reached down to her basket and pulled some catalogs out. "Jack, I had an idea about something I would like to make for the baby's room and I think you can help me. It would be similar to you helping me with the designs for the table cloths."

"Sure, I would love to help you." He smiled, remembering back to how excited she had been when he presented her with his own ideas for the table cloths.

She opened one of her catalogs and found the item she wanted to show him. It was a cross stich wall hanging for a baby's room, with the baby's name in the center, with the letters of the alphabet and the numbers one through ten scattered around. "I have made these before whenever someone I knew was having a baby. I usually just ordered them from the catalog." She showed Jack the picture.

He looked it over. "That's cute." He looked at her before continuing. "Is your idea to come up with our own design for you to make?"

She nodded, a huge grin on her face. "Yes! I have some ideas for what I would like, but I want your input too."

"What do you have in mind?"

"I was torn between toys or baby animals. Then I started thinking there aren't a lot of toys that are gender neutral. So I went back to thinking about the animals."

"I like the idea of animals. I have some thoughts already."

"I have one request for an animal that has to be in there. We have to put in a basset hound puppy. That way Rip is a part of it." Rip, who was in the corner of the living room, looked up briefly when he heard his name, then he went back to sleep.

"I love it!" He exclaimed, then he stood up. "I am so excited about this I am going to get my drawing pad and get to work!" He leaned down and kissed her as she laughed at his enthusiasm.

He returned and sat back down on the sofa. He opened up his pad to a clean page and got to work. Elizabeth picked up her knitting and continued working on the blanket. They spent the afternoon together on their sofa, occasionally looking up to talk. They loved this quiet time together, even if they weren't talking. Every once in a while Elizabeth would get up for something to eat but would always return to the sofa and her spot next to the man she loved, the father of her baby.


	19. Preparing for Christmas

Several weeks had passed since finding out about the baby. Jack and Elizabeth couldn't be happier, despite a rough patch of morning sickness she had experienced. Now it was under control and Elizabeth was finding that she could now eat again without the worry of vomiting. Jack was very attentive to her while she was sick; he took care of the house and cooked meals, letting her have the rest she needed.

It was now December and Christmas was approaching. Elizabeth was looking forward to their first holiday as a married couple, as well as the only one they would have just the two of them for quite some time. Next year they would have a new little Thornton, playing with the tissue paper and boxes from the gifts instead of the toys he or she may get.

Elizabeth was making plans for the holiday, not just at home but at school as well. For a special project, she was helping the students make homemade gifts for their parents. The girls were knitting scarves and hats while the boys were making things out of wood, like step stools and tables. The children had a lot of fun; they would sign Christmas carols while working. Elizabeth was also teaching them about holiday traditions around the world and the traditions she had when she was growing up. They were all very interested in those lessons.

On the last day of school before the holiday break, Elizabeth understandably had a hard time getting the children to calm down. They spent the day finishing their gifts and talking about what they had learned about Christmas around the world. They also had a little party, with sandwiches and cookies that Abigail had made. Elizabeth loved seeing all the happy faces of her students and couldn't help but think to the future when she and Jack would see the happy face of their child on Christmas morning.

Elizabeth let the children go home a little early. She stayed behind to finish the last of the school work she had so she wouldn't have to worry about it over the break. She had just corrected the last paper when she heard the door open. She looked up and saw the dimpled grin of her handsome husband. "Hi, Jack!" She said as he rushed down the aisle to meet her. He leaned down and gave her a kiss.

"I see you let the children go home early." He said.

"Yes, I thought they deserved a little treat. They have been so good this week, trying not to let the excitement of the holiday affect their school work." She stood from her desk and began putting things in her basket. "I just finished the last paper I had to grade, so now I don't have any school work to do while on vacation."

"Great. Bill let me leave a little early today so I could spend some time with you. I thought maybe we could go pick out a tree and then decorate it tonight." He had a twinkle in his eyes

"Oh Jack! I would love to."

"Perfect! I rented a wagon to help us bring the tree back home." He grabbed her coat and helped her put it on. "How are you feeling today?" Even though Elizabeth had gotten the morning sickness under control, he still worried about her. She had long since come to terms that he would worry about her and be over protective the entire pregnancy.

"I was a little nauseous this morning after you left, but I ate my crackers and it went away. I was able to eat some oatmeal and fruit before coming to school. I was starving by the time lunch came around. I had a ham sandwich and some potato salad."

"I am glad you were able to eat today." His tummy rumbled just then and they both laughed. "I forgot to eat lunch today."

"Well, you are in luck, Constable. We have some leftovers from the party today. You could have a sandwich before we go find the tree." She walked over to the empty bench where they had left the tray of food and started to carry it back to her desk, but Jack stopped her.

"Elizabeth, let me carry that." He took the tray from her hands.

Elizabeth shook her head. "I guess I shouldn't tell you I lifted that tray by myself when it was completely full of sandwiches." She teased, with a twinkle in her eyes.

He looked at her in surprise. "Elizabeth how could you do that? And how could Abigail allow you to lift it? She's been pregnant before. She knows you should be taking it easy." He looked at her again and noticed she was biting her lip and trying hard not to laugh. "Oh, I get it now. You were playing a joke on me." He walked over to her to give her a fake shove in the arm. They both burst out laughing.

"I'm sorry, Jack. I couldn't resist." She said as she removed the cover off the tray. "I did lift the small tray with the cookies on it. It wasn't heavy at all."

"I guess that's ok then. As long as it wasn't heavy." He picked up a sandwich and took a big bite. "Yum!"

Her own stomach let out a grumble. They both laughed again. "Ok, little one. I got your message." She put a hand on her belly then reached for a sandwich.

They sat there for several moments, enjoying their sandwiches and after, a couple of cookies. They wrapped up the trays and brought them out to the wagon. Elizabeth noted a basket in the wagon too. He must have stopped at Abigail's to get them dinner for tonight. Jack then helped Elizabeth up into her seat, then ran around to get in himself. Soon they were heading to the woods not far from their home. Jack pulled to a stop in front of some gorgeous trees. He helped Elizabeth down, then offered his arm as they walked around, looking for the perfect tree.

It took a while but the finally found the perfect tree. Jack got to work chopping it down while Elizabeth looked around the forest. It was so pretty here, with a blanket of snow coving the trees. It was peaceful, something she never experienced in the city. She imagined coming out here in a few years with their child and picking their tree. She sighed happily.

At that moment, Jack had finished cutting and he heard her sigh. "Elizabeth? Is something wrong?"

"Hmm? Oh, no Jack. I was just picturing coming out here in the future with our child or children to pick out a Christmas tree." She smiled dreamily.

Jack closed his eyes for a moment to imagine it himself. Soon a smile was on his face that matched hers. He opened his eyes and walked over to his wife. He gave her a tender kiss. "I love that dream." He hugged her then said. "I have the tree cut down. I will help you back in the wagon then pack up the tree." She nodded and they started back towards the wagon. Soon she was in her seat and Jack had returned to the tree. It wasn't long before they were riding back towards their house, both of them excited about their evening ahead.

When they arrived home, Jack helped Elizabeth bring in the food first. "Abigail made pot roast today. I brought some home for dinner." Jack told her.

"Sounds delicious." She gave him a quick kiss. "Go get the tree and I will bring out the ornaments I have collected."

"Be right back, Sweetheart." He started for the door. "Elizabeth? Would you like me to start a fire?"

"That would be wonderful. After we decorate the tree we can cuddle in front of the fire."

"Exactly my thinking." He grinned at her.

After putting away their dinner and the leftover sandwiches, Elizabeth went to their office to get the decorations. She had bought some and also made some. Her favorite was an angel tree topper. She ordered snowflakes and icicles ornaments and made some out of pine cones she found on their property. She purchased some red and green yarn that had glitter in it and knitted garlands. She also made a special ornament for Jack. She made a heart and put their wedding picture in it. She then wrote "Our First Christmas 1912" on it. She planned on making an ornament every year.

"Elizabeth? Where are you?" She heard Jack call.

"I will be right out." She called as she picked up the box with the snowflakes and icicles in it. As she walked in to their living room, Jack saw her and rushed over to grab the box from her hands. She pulled the box away from him.

"Elizabeth, what did I tell you about lifting boxes? Give that to me!"

She sent an annoyed look at him. "For heaven's sake, Jack. That box isn't heavy at all. Not to mention I walked home with that box when it arrived and nothing happened."

He pulled his hands back. "I'm sorry, Elizabeth. I just don't want anything to happen to you or the baby."

"Jack, I promised you I would not do anything to harm the baby and that includes lifting heavy things. If I thought that box was heavy I would have asked you to bring it home for me and to bring it out of our office."

He looked down at his feet, obviously embarrassed. "I am sorry Elizabeth. I know better than to doubt you like that. Forgive me?" He looked back up at her with a pout on his face.

Elizabeth tried hard not to laugh. She put the box down, then said. "I'll forgive you, if you give me a kiss." She raised her eyebrows at him.

"I think I can handle that." He swept her up in his arms and kissed her. "How was that?"

"I liked it. Maybe you could give me a few more later, when we are in front of the fire."

He grinned. "Sounds great to me!"

"Do you want to have supper before we get started on the tree?"

"Yes I would. That sandwich didn't fill me up that much. Are you hungry?"

"Yes, I am. I will go heat up dinner. Would you please take the box of decorations to the living room?"

"Of course. I will join you in the kitchen after."

After eating Abigail's delicious pot roast, they went and got the rest of the decorations from the office. When they reached the living room, Elizabeth asked Jack to sit on the sofa with her for a moment. He agreed but wondered what was going on.

"Jack, I have, or rather I guess you could call this an early Christmas present for you." She handed him a box with the heart ornament she made.

"Oh? I love presents." He shook the box and heard a little rattling. "I wonder what it is." He opened the box and pushed back the tissue paper. He gasped when he saw it. "Oh, Elizabeth! It's beautiful!" He leaned over to give her a kiss. "Did you make this?"

"Yes I did." She paused for a moment. "I thought we could start our own tradition of putting up handmade ornaments every year. Maybe next year we could but our baby's picture in it with the words "Baby's First Christmas" or maybe a picture of us as a family."

Jack felt himself getting a little emotional. He loved hearing her talk about the future with their family. "I love that idea. And I love you." He kissed her again.

"I love you too." She put her arms around him.

They stayed that way for a few more minutes before Jack got up and pulled on her hand. "Let's open that box of ornaments you ordered. I can't wait to decorate the tree." He looked like a little boy on, well, Christmas morning.

She laughed and let Jack lead her over to the box. She starting pulling out the snowflakes. "I hope you don't mind but I thought a snow and ice theme would be nice for our tree. I also made ornaments out of pine cones I found."

Jack had pulled out some of the icicles. "I like the idea."

They spent the next hour decorating. Finally they were ready to put on the tree topper. Elizabeth opened the box with the angel. After Jack had placed they stood back together and admired their tree.

"I love it, Jack" She said as she put her head on his shoulder.

"I do too." He kissed her on her forehead. "Now, are you ready to cuddle by the fire?"

"I sure am. I think I am going to change into my nightgown first though. I feel like getting comfortable."

"That's a good idea. Would you mind if I joined you?"

"I would be disappointed if you didn't."

"How about some hot chocolate while we sit by the fire? I can make it for us."

"Yummy!" She said by way of response.

A few minutes later, they were changed and sitting in front of the fire, two cups of hot chocolate sitting on the table nearby. Elizabeth was sitting with her back up against Jack's body and his arms were around her. They talked about their first holiday together as a married couple and future holidays they would have with their children. They talked until Elizabeth fell asleep. Jack watched her sleep for a while, thinking how beautiful she looked in the fire light, before picking her up and putting her to bed. He soon followed and dreamed about Christmas in the future with a little boy and a little girl.


	20. Christmas Day

Elizabeth opened her eyes and noted the room looked grey. She looked over at the clock and saw it was 8 o'clock. She carefully removed Jack's arm from around her, then padded over to the window. She smiled when she saw it was snowing. Snow on Christmas Day! It would make the day she planned with Jack even more special. She grabbed her robe and slipped it on, before heading to living room. She grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around her before slipping outside to watch the snow fall. She was entranced by the white flakes falling to the grown.

She put her hand on her small baby bump and gently rubbed it. "Look, baby! Snow on Christmas! I wish you could see how beautiful it is today. I can't wait until you are here and Daddy and I can show all this world has to offer." She paused to stare out at the snow while continuing to rub her belly. "Daddy and I love you so much, little one."

Jack, who had been standing in the door way watching Elizabeth, felt tears form in his eyes. The scene before him was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. His wife was so beautiful, standing there watching the snow fall and talking to their baby. He quietly walked over to her and slid his arms around her waist and resting his hands on top of hers. "Merry Christmas, Sweetheart!"

She turned to face him and gave him a kiss. "Merry Christmas, My Handsome Mountie!" She gave him a big smile. "Look! It's snowing!"

Jack laughed at her excitement. "It's beautiful!" He felt her shiver and he wrapped his arms around her more tightly. "How long have you been out here?"

"Just a few minutes, but I am ready to go back in."

"That's good because we can't have you getting sick." He kissed her nose, then grabbed her hand as they walked back inside. "Would you like some breakfast?"

"Yes, please. Then we can open presents!"

"Sounds good to me!" They both laughed. "I was thinking of making pancakes. How does that sound to you?"

Elizabeth put his hand back on her abdomen and replied. "Both of us think that's a great idea."

Jack smiled, then headed to the kitchen and got to work. Elizabeth followed him in. She wanted to get started on their Christmas dinner. They were going to have turkey with all the trimmings and blueberry pie for dessert, made from the blueberries she had canned over the summer. As they worked, they talked about Christmas past from their childhood.

When they finished the delicious pancakes Jack had made, they went to the living room and sat down in front of their lovely tree. Jack picked up a present first and handed it to Elizabeth.

Elizabeth carefully opened the wrapping paper. When she removed the paper, it revealed a copy of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. It was one of her favorite books. As she looked it over, she discovered it was a first edition. "Oh, Jack. A first edition! Thank you!" She leaned over to kiss him.

"You're welcome, Sweetheart." He look her hand in his for a moment. "I know this is one of your favorite books. When I was in Cape Fullerton last month, I came across a rare book store, so I went in to browse. The clerk asked me if I needed help and I told him how much you love reading. He asked me some questions about you, like your favorite authors. He directed me towards that book."

"I love it and I love you!" She said, then reached over to get him his present.

He took it from her and ripped off the paper. He opened the lid and found a box of drawing pencils and tools along with a new sketch pad. Both were engraved with his name. "Wow! New drawing supplies! I love the box the tools are in and the engraving. Thank you, Elizabeth." He kissed her. Then he handed her a small box. "Here is another gift for you." He moved a bigger present that had been beside the tree and put it in front of her. "Don't try to lift it, it's a little heavy."

She gave him a puzzled look, wondering what could be so heavy. She removed the wrapping paper to reveal what looked like a storage box. She ran her hands over it and felt some writing. She looked at it more closely and saw it said: "Elizabeth's Craft Box." She opened the lid and noticed how much more room there was for her supplies. "Jack, it's beautiful. Did you make this?"

"Yes, I did. I thought you might like something to keep your supplies in right here in the living room. Of course you could still use your basket if you want to take something to the bedroom or out on the porch."

"Jack, thank you so much for my new craft box. It was so thoughtful of you to make it for me." She leaned over to give him a slow, passion filled kiss. After they parted, she reached over for another present to give to Jack. She giggled a little when she handed it to him.

He took the box and looked at her with a curious grin. "What's so funny?"

"You'll see." Was all that she said as she watched him once again tear off the wrapping paper.

He opened the box and pushed the tissue paper aside to reveal a brown scarf and hat. The color matched the brown on his serge. He smiled as he pulled them out of the box, knowing that Elizabeth had made them. He noticed there was something else in the box, something dark blue. He picked it up and discovered it was a sweater. The yarn was soft but would definitely keep him warm. "Elizabeth! These beautiful. You made these for me?" He asked even though he knew the answer.

"Yes I did. I actually started working on the sweater right after we got engaged. The scarf and hat I knitted more recently. Do you like your knitted gifts?"

"Like them? No I don't." He said, then laughed when he saw the sadness in her eyes. "I don't just like them, I love them. And I love you!"

Elizabeth burst out laughing, then gave him a playful slap on the arm. "You think you're so funny, don't you?"

"But you love me anyway."

"Yes I do, but sometimes I just don't know why." She raised her eyebrow at him, then winked, letting him know she was joking.

Jack pulled her into his arms and started kissing her, tenderly at first but soon his kisses became more passionate. She put her arms around him and ran her fingers through his hair. Jack reached down to open the belt of her robe and slipped it off of her. Elizabeth pulled his shirt over his head, then slipped off his pants. He lifted his lower body to help her. Once she was finished, he gently pulled on her negligee and she lifted her arms so he could pull it off her body. Jack gently pushed her back to the floor, continuing to kiss her. They became one, in front of their tree and a warm, crackling fire.

They spent the rest of the day together, both helping with dinner and making love in front of the fire. It had been a perfect first Christmas together as a married couple. They talked about what next Christmas would be with a little Thornton present. They went to sleep that night and dreamed of the future.


	21. New Year, New Terror

The week between Christmas and New Year's flew by. Jack had taken some time off so he could spend time with Elizabeth while she was on winter break. He surprised her by planning a trip to Cape Fullerton, where he booked a hotel suite with a separate sitting room and bedroom. The bathroom had a heart shaped bathtub, which they enjoyed several times. He also made reservations at a fancy restaurant, then took her to the theatre to see "Romeo and Juliet". It had been a wonderful mini-vacation.

Now they were back in Hope Valley and it was New Year's Eve. Rosemary and Lee were throwing a party. Elizabeth and Jack knew it would be a grand affair, remembering what she did for the New Year's celebration when she won the contest in the paper. Elizabeth had bought herself a new dress for the party while in Cape Fullerton. That is she bought several new dresses since her clothes were starting to get tight. She also bought some new lingerie that fit her changing figure very nicely. She was going to wear a new camisole and panties set that she would put under her new dress.

"Elizabeth? Are you ready to go?" Jack called from the living room.

"Be right out!" She answered as she took a final look at herself in the mirror. She walked out to join Jack and watched his face when he saw her. She was wearing a dress in midnight blue with a sweetheart neckline covered in lace. He could just make out her tiny baby bump.

"Elizabeth!" he whispered. 'You look exquisite! I love that color on you. It really brings out the color in your eyes." He leaned over to give her a kiss.

"Thank you, Jack. Are you ready to go?" As she took her winter coat out of the closet.

"Hmmm?" He didn't seem to hear her at first as he was totally mesmerized by her beauty. "Oh, yes. I am ready to leave." He took her coat and help her put it on. "Have to keep you and our baby warm." He gave her a quick kiss on her cheek, then opened the door and they walked to their buggy. As they drove away, they did not see a man come out of the shadows, watching them.

The Coulter house was fully lit up and they could hear music as Jack and Elizabeth approached. They smiled at each other, knowing this was typical Rosemary. When Jack pulled the buggy to a stop, Gabe approached the. "Good evening, Mountie Jack and Mrs. Thornton." He held out a hand to help Elizabeth down. "Would you like me to take care of the buggy for you?"

"That would be great, Gabe." Jack said as he smiled and handed the young man a dollar. Gabe thanked him then jumped into the buggy. Jack held out his arm for Elizabeth and they made their way to the door.

Lee opened the door just as they approached. "Jack, Elizabeth! Welcome to the Coulter New Year's Party!" He ushered them in and took their coats. "Rosemary is waiting for you in my study. We have something we want to tell you privately." Jack and Elizabeth exchanged glances, then followed Lee into the study.

Rosemary was staring out the window when they walked into the room. She turned when she heard footsteps, then rushed forward to give Elizabeth a hug, followed by Jack. "Thank you both for coming tonight!" There was excitement showing in her eyes and Elizabeth felt it had nothing to do with New Year's Eve.

"Of course! We have been looking forward to this since you gave us the invitation." Elizabeth said.

"We have something we are going to announce to everyone later, but we both wanted to tell you first. Jack, despite what happened when I broke our engagement, you are like family to me." She squeezed his hand before turning to Elizabeth. "Elizabeth, I know things were strained, to say the least when I first arrived in town. I apologize for that. I have come to find you to be one of my closest friends here in Hope Valley. There are times when we talk that I feel like a sister, a sister I never had and always wanted." She gave a shocked Elizabeth a quick hug. "It is because I, I mean we, wanted to tell you this privately." She said as Lee put his arm around her. "Jack, Elizabeth, Lee and I are going to have a baby!"

"What? You are?" Elizabeth exclaimed. She threw her arms around Rosemary and gave her a big hug, as Jack shook Lee's hand and patted him on the back. "This is grand news. Our children will be close in age and can be best friends!"

"Exactly what I was thinking." Rosemary agreed. She pulled Elizabeth away from the men so they could talk, just the two of them. "I know you probably haven't given this much thought yet but I had an idea. If you wanted to go back to teaching, I wouldn't mind watching your little one during the day being as our children will only be a couple of months apart in age."

"Oh, Rosemary, that is so generous of you, thank you. You are right, I haven't give much thought to teaching yet. Jack and I will need to sit down to discuss it, but I will remember your kind offer and tell him."

"You're welcome, Elizabeth. I am so excited about the baby and the fact that he or she will have a playmate."

"Me too, Rosemary." They walked back to their husbands and then followed the hosts to the party. Rosemary stopped the music to make her big announcement. The whole town burst out in cheers at her news.

Great food and fun times were to be had by all at the Coulter New Year's party. Shortly before midnight, everyone bundled up and went outside to watch fireworks. As they counted down the seconds, Jack put his arms around Elizabeth and placed them on her bump, pulling her as close to him as possible. He whispered "Happy New Year" in her ear as the fireworks lit up the night sky.

Back at the Thornton house, the man in the shadows had entered the home shortly after the happy couple had left. He walked the house room by room, stopping in each one to look at photographs and collectables. He paused at the photograph of Jack and Elizabeth on their wedding day. He glared at the picture, thinking how that should have been someone else looking happy with his arm around the beautiful bride. He continued looking at the pictures of the happy couple throughout the home, some taken by camera and some drawn by Jack. When he heard the fireworks begin, he left the home but lingered in the yard.

Shortly after the fireworks display had finished, everyone returned to the house to enjoy some hot chocolate or hot toddies, whichever they wanted. As she sipped her hot chocolate, Elizabeth motioned to Jack to come over to her. "Jack, I am tired. Would it be ok if we said our goodbyes and went home?"

"Of course, Sweetheart! You need your rest and besides, I am tired too." He took her cup and set it down on a table, then went looking for Rosemary and Lee, saying goodbye to their other friends on the way. Soon they were heading home. Elizabeth rested her head on Jack's shoulder and put a hand on her belly. When they arrived home, Elizabeth pulled Jack to their swing on the front porch.

"Jack, I want to sit out here for a few minutes before we head in."

"I would love to, but let's not stay out too long. It is cold and I don't want you to get sick." He sat down next to her on the swing and put his arms around her, to keep her warm.

"I'm fine, Jack." She replied and gave him a quick kiss. "I keep thinking about what is to come for us in this New Year. In June, we will celebrate our first anniversary and over the summer, this little one will arrive." She took one of Jack's hand and brought it to her belly. She held his hand there for a couple of minutes while they both thought about seeing their baby for the first time.

"I can't wait to meet our baby, Elizabeth. I hope it's a little girl and she has your beautiful blue eyes." He said. "But if the baby is a boy I will be just as happy."

"I know. I imagine a little boy with your dimples but I will be very happy with a girl." She giggled after she said that.

"What's so funny?" Jack looked at her with a silly grin on his face. He was thinking maybe they would have twins.

"The thought just came to my mind that maybe we will have twins, one of each."

"I was just thinking the same thing!" He leaned over and kissed her. He noticed that her nose and cheeks were cold. "We should head inside. Your face is cold."

"All right, but Jack, I am suddenly not so tired anymore. Would you like to take a warm bath with me before we go to bed?"

"I am not so tired either and I would love to take a bath with you. If we are still awake after, we can just cuddle in bed." He said as he stood, then helped Elizabeth off the swing.

"That sounds heavenly." Elizabeth kissed Jack then headed for the door.

After the door was closed, the man from the shadows quietly walked onto their porch and watched their silhouettes kissing in the window. His anger returned as he thought about how someone else should have been kissing Elizabeth. He clenched his fists and dug deep into himself to control the urge to break into the house right at that moment and kill both of them. He had a plan and he needed to stick to it. He walked off the porch and headed to the cabin he had moved into while he waiting to implement his plan of revenge.


	22. Uneasy Feelings

School returned to session on January 4th. Jack had left early that morning to go to the jail, leaving Elizabeth to walk by herself to school. On the way there she kept getting the feeling she was being followed, but when she would turn around to check, no one would be there. It reminded her of when Gregory Williams was stalking her but she knew that was impossible since he was dead. As she got closer to school, the feeling became less and less. She started thinking about her day ahead; what she was going to teach in school and then her checkup with Dr. Matthews.

The children had a hard time calming down; they were all still excited from their winter holiday. Elizabeth had planned for this to happen so for their first assignment she asked them to write an essay about what they did on their break. That did the trick and then she was able to start the rest of the lessons she had planned for the day.

When she dismissed the children for lunch, she stayed inside the school house to eat. As she bit into her sandwich, she thought she felt the baby move for the first time. She set her sandwich down and brought both hands to her belly. After a few minutes she felt it again; it felt like a butterfly was flapping its wings inside her stomach. She felt a huge smile grow on her face as she felt the fluttering again and again. She wished that Jack would be able to feel it too, but it would be a little while longer before he could.

Jack walked into the school house just as that moment and saw his wife grinning and her eyes shining with happy tears. He walked up to her desk as she looked up and saw him. "What has you so happy, Mrs. Thornton?"

"Jack!" She exclaimed as she stood up to kiss him. "I just felt the baby move!"

Jack smiled and put his hand on her stomach. He frowned when he didn't feel anything.

"Jack, you won't be able to feel the movement for a few more weeks. It just felt like fluttering to me. Not a true kick but it was definitely movement."

Jack felt a little disappointed that he couldn't feel the baby but happy at the same time that she could. It meant that things were going fine with the baby. "I can't wait to feel it." He leaned down to kiss her. "Other than that, how is your day going?"

"It's been fine. I had planned for the children to be distracted from their holiday, so I asked them to write an essay about it. Once they were done, they calmed down enough for me to do my regular lessons."

"That's good." He kissed her again. "I missed you, so that's why I am here now. Would you like me to walk you home later?"

"Actually Jack, I am not going home right away. I have a checkup with Dr. Matthews."

"You do? Why didn't you tell me?"

"It's not a big deal. He is just going to check things out to make sure the pregnancy is going ok. I thought you might still be doing rounds when I have my appointment so I didn't mention it to you. If you want to come with me you can, if you don't have work."

"I would love to. I am sure Bill would be willing to do afternoon rounds for me. Then I can pick you up, go with you to the doctor and then go home with you. We could pick up something for dinner from the café."

"That sounds nice, Jack, but I can meet you in town. There is no need for you to leave the jail to pick me up and then walk back."

"That's fine. Meet me at the jail?" He said as he leaned down to give her one last kiss and put his hand on her belly. "I love you both."

"We love you too. See you later."

The rest of the school day went by quickly. Soon it was time to dismiss the students. She put her things into her basket and closed up the school for the day. She was walking towards town when she again got that feeling that someone was watching her. She started to walk faster, wanting to get into town fast. She found herself wishing she had taken Jack up on his offer to walk her to town. As she continued her fast pace to town, she thought about whether she should tell Jack about her uneasiness or keep it quiet. She knew he would worry but she also knew she would not be able to keep it to herself. He always knew when something was wrong with her. She knew what she had to do.

Just as she reached town, she no longer felt like she was being followed. She breathed a sigh of relief. She walked towards the jail and walked in. Jack looked up from the desk and smiled at her. Then he frowned; she didn't seem happy anymore, like she was earlier. "Is something wrong, Elizabeth? Do we have time to talk before your appointment?"

"Yes, we do. I don't have a set time. We worked it out that I would just stop by after school. If he is out on a call, I will just come back later. I would rather go to the appointment and then talk to you."

"All right, if you're sure." He got up and put on his coat. He offered his arm to Elizabeth and they walked out of the jail towards the doctor's office. Jack was worried about her. He wondered if something happened with the baby since lunch and that was why she wanted to see the doctor first. He had lots of questions but held them back until after the appointment.

They walked up the steps to Dr. Matthews's office and he knocked on the door. They waited until they heard the doctor say "Come in." and then opened the door. "Good afternoon, Elizabeth, Jack. Come into the exam room and I can do your checkup." They followed him back and Jack helped Elizabeth unto the exam table. "How are you feeling, Elizabeth?"

"I feel great, Doctor. I am still a little tired at the end of the day but that is to be expected. I felt the baby move today!" Her eyes lit up as she spoke; Jack realized whatever was bothering her was not the baby.

"That's wonderful. I am sure that was very exciting for you. And don't worry Jack. You will be able to feeling the baby move in no time."

"I am looking forward to it." Jack said as he smiled. He always grinned when he talked about the baby.

The rest of the exam went well. Dr. Matthews was pleased with how Elizabeth was doing. She was very healthy and she was on track to deliver a healthy baby. Jack and Elizabeth thanked the doctor and left. As they walked down the street to leave town, Jack stopped his wife.

"Elizabeth please tell me what is on your mind."

She looked up at him and sighed. "I would rather go home first. I'm cold and tired. I would much rather talk to you sitting in front of a warm fire. Please?" She looked up at him with a pleading look in her gorgeous blue eyes.

Jack looked at her face. She was obviously scare of something but he couldn't tell what. He agreed to go home because he certainly could not let her freeze, not while she was pregnant, well not ever but certainly not now. He put his arm over her shoulders to warm her up a little. "Let's go home, Sweetheart."

"Wait a minute." She stopped in the road. "Didn't you want to get dinner for us from the café?"

"I already did. I stopped by the café after I saw you earlier. Abigail made roast chicken today. I took the plates home and then headed back to work."

"You think of everything." She replied as they continued their walk. Soon they arrived home. Elizabeth went to the kitchen to make some tea while Jack started the fire. Soon they were sitting on the couch with two cups of tea on the coffee table.

Jack took her hand and squeezed it. "Talk to me, Elizabeth. What is bothering you?"

She took a deep breath. "Jack, this morning when I walked to school, I had the feeling I was being followed."

"What?" Jack exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell me this at lunch?"

"I thought I was just imaging it. Then when I walked over to town after school, I had the feeling again. It felt like….." She trailed off, realizing how silly it would be to admit what it felt like to her.

Jack looked frightened for a moment. "It felt like what? You can tell me"

She looked into his eyes. "This is going to be silly, but it reminded me of when Gregory Williams was stalking me back in college." She lowered her gaze, to hide the tears she had in her eyes. She was upset with herself for letting this bother her so much.

Jack lifted her face up to look at his. He wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Elizabeth, don't cry. I will work to figure this out. For now, you are not to walk alone anywhere. I will work something out with Bill so I can walk you to and from school. If I can't be there for you, I will have Bill or Abigail walk with you."

"Thank you, Jack. I have to admit I thought about not telling you, but quickly realized that would be a mistake. I knew you would start an investigation."

"I am glad you decided to say something. I don't want you keeping things inside that would cause you stress. You can't afford to be upset right now." He leaned over to kiss her, then pulled her in his arms. She snuggled closer to him, feeling very safe, sitting there in front of the fire with his arms around her.


	23. Can't Sleep

A few weeks had passed since Elizabeth had the feeling she was being followed. Jack and Bill kept their eyes open around town and while during rounds for strangers that may be the cause of Elizabeth's uneasy feelings. They found no one. Jack continued to walk his wife to and from school as promised. Truth was even though he was concerned about what caused the feelings in the first place, he was happy to be spending extra time with his wife.

One night, Elizabeth couldn't sleep. She decided to make herself a cup of warm milk and go read in front of the fire in the living room. She hoped Jack wouldn't notice she wasn't in bed with him, but she knew he probably would wake up. He hated sleeping alone now; every time he was called away on Mountie duty he would come home exhausted because he missed holding her in bed at night.

Her hopes were dashed when thirty minutes later she heard him calling for her. "I'm in the living room, Jack." She called to him.

Jack walked into the living room and sat down on the couch next to her. She put her book aside as Jack put his arm around her. "Can't sleep?" He ask her

"No. I am not sure why. I didn't want to disturb you so I came down here to read."

"You could have woken me up. I wouldn't have minded, especially since I have a surprise for you. Bill offered to work for me this weekend so we don't have to get up tomorrow morning."

"Oh, Jack! How wonderful! A whole weekend together! But wait! Why didn't you tell me at dinner?"

"I wanted to surprise you in the morning with breakfast in bed." He kissed the top of her head. "Is there anything I can do to help you sleep? Would you like some warm milk?"

"No thank you. I made some for myself already." She pointed to the cup on the coffee table. "It's not working. Maybe you could just hold me for a while in front of the warm fire."

"I will always hold you, Sweetheart. You never have to ask." They laid on the couch for a few minutes before Jack decided to sing to her.

Elizabeth closed her eyes and listened to his rich voice. She loved it when he sang to her. Suddenly, she felt the baby kick, much harder than she had been feeling the last few weeks. She gasped and moved her hands towards her belly, startling Jack.

"Elizabeth? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, Jack. Give me your hand." She took it and placed his hand on her belly.

Jack waited, knowing she must have felt the baby move, but he didn't feel anything. "Elizabeth, I can't feel the baby."

"I know, the baby stopped moving. Try singing again. I was only feeling fluttering before you started to sing."

He did ask she asked and after he sang for a about a minute, he felt it. A nice strong kick. "Oh, my goodness!" He exclaimed. "That's some kick!" He felt tears come to his eyes as he felt their baby kick for the first time. He brought his other hand to her belly and closed his eyes, relishing the moment of feeling his child move for the first time. He really felt like he was bonding with the baby now. He often found himself feeling envious of her that she already had a bond with the baby.

"It's wonderful, isn't?" Elizabeth replied, with tears falling down her cheeks.

"Yes, it is." He whispered. "I love you, Sweetheart! So much! I love our baby, too."

"I love you too, My Love." She wanted to turn to face and give him a kiss, but the baby was still kicking and she didn't want Jack to miss out on feeling the baby for the first time. "Jack? What do you think we are having? A boy or a girl?"

"Well, that was some kick, so from that I would say it's a boy, but I have this feeling deep in my heart that the baby is a girl. A beautiful little girl who looks exactly like her mother and will steal my heart the moment I see her for the first time." He was still feeling emotional and took a moment to move one hand from her belly to wipe the tears from his eyes.

Elizabeth felt tears in her eyes again, listening to Jack talk about having a daughter. "Oh, Jack! That is so sweet! I think we are having a girl too. Woman's intuition."

"We haven't discussed names yet, Sweetheart." He said as he put his arms around her belly. He grinned when he felt another kick. "Should we talk about that now while we cuddle together?"

"Yes, I would love to discuss names. I have been thinking about names a lot lately. Since I first felt the fluttering."

"What are your thoughts?"

"Well, I was thinking I want to have our names as a middle name. I love both our names but it would get too confusing to have two Elizabeth's or two Jarrick's or Jack's in the house."

Jack laughed. "Yes it would get a little confusing. I wouldn't mind using my name as a middle name."

"I was thinking Catherine Elizabeth for a girl. We could call her Katie. And Christopher Jarrick for a boy, Chris for short."

"I love them. Katie or Chris. Beautiful! Great job coming up with them"

"I am so happy you like the names." The last part was interrupted by a yawn. "I'm sorry, Jack. I didn't mean to yawn."

"It's ok. You must be getting sleepy. Do you want to go back to bed and see if you can fall asleep?"

"Yes, as long as you promise to hold me."

Jack was already getting up from the couch. He rolled his eyes in an exaggerated fashion. "If I must." He pretended it would be so hard for him to hold her. They looked at each other and burst out laughing. Jack held his hand out to her and helped her up. He put his arm around her as they walked upstairs to bed.

 _ **Decided to make this chapter a little shorter as it is a transition chapter. I had one idea about the stranger when I was writing this before but I have changed my mind. I am going in a different direction. I will be re-introducing the stranger at a later date. In the meantime, I would love some opinions on the names I picked.**_


	24. Fear and Joy

A month had passed since Jack felt the baby move for the first time. He was amazed every time he put his hand on his wife's belly and he felt the baby kick. Sometimes the feeling would bring tears to his eyes. The miracle of life blossoming in front of him. A life that was made from the love he and Elizabeth share for each other.

Unfortunately, Jack had been called away on Mountie business about ten days after he first felt the baby. He hated to go, but knew that it would be better to take the assignment now so he could be with Elizabeth when the baby was due. He knew it wasn't customary but he wanted to sit with her while she was in labor, to help her through the pains. He had witnessed a couple of births while he was in Mountie training and he knew it was going to be very painful. He wanted to be her rock, to encourage her through the contractions and be there for whatever else she may need. When he asked Elizabeth how she felt about him being with her while she gave birth, she cried, happy tears. She had told him she felt a little better about the pain of childbirth just knowing he would be there with her.

In Hope Valley, Elizabeth was living life day by day without her husband there with her. She was getting tired more easily as the pregnancy advanced. She was finding it exhausting to walk to school every morning, teach all day and then walk home. Fortunately, Gabe had noticed how tired she was one day and he offered to come pick her up every day in a buggy and bring her home afterwards. Elizabeth gratefully took him up on his offer and she insisted on paying him.

One morning, Elizabeth woke up feeling sick to her stomach and extremely tired. She hadn't had morning sickness in a long time; she was hoping she didn't have a stomach bug. She dragged herself out of bed and made herself some toast. It seemed to settle her stomach so she went to get changed for work. Once she started teaching for the day, she started feeling worse. By mid-morning, she began to feel abdominal pains. She started to get worried; she was afraid she they might be labor pains. She changed her lesson plan for the day slightly by asking the children to work quietly on their essays so she could sit down, grade papers and monitor the pains. She soon realized she was getting them about every five minutes. She tried to keep herself calm so she wouldn't upset the children, although she was panicking inside. She was so afraid she was going to lose the baby. She decided to call Cassandra to her desk. Cassandra was always helping her out since she found out about the baby. She trusted Cassandra to be able to handle the younger children and to get help for her.

After hearing her name called, Cassandra approached Elizabeth's desk. She could see that something was bothering her teacher. "Mrs. Thornton," Cassandra whispered. "Is something wrong?"

Elizabeth motioned for her to come closer. "Cassandra, I need to tell you something and I need you to stay calm." Cassandra nodded. "I have been experiencing pains every five minutes for about a half an hour now. I need for you to dismiss the children and get help for me."

Cassandra felt herself panicking and she could only imagine what her teacher was feeling. "Of course! I will take care of things." She turned towards the classroom. "Attention, class! Mrs. Thornton isn't feeling well. She is dismissing class for the remainder of the day. You are free to leave."

The students, while happy the school day was ending early, they were all very concerned for their teacher. Gabe noticed some of the children didn't want to leave. He quickly took care of the situation, then walked up to Elizabeth's desk, where Cassandra was holding the teacher's hand while Elizabeth experienced another pain. "Mrs. Thornton, are you ok? Do you want me to take you into town to see the doctor?"

"Yes, please Gabe. I need to see Dr. Matthews right away." She had tears in her eyes as she talked. Cassandra nodded to Gabe and he ran outside to get the buggy.

Cassandra then helped her teacher out of the schoolhouse, down the stairs and into the buggy. She climbed in with her teacher so she could hold her hand during the trip into town.

As they approached the edge of town, Bill appeared from another direction, coming back from handling rounds. When he saw Elizabeth in the buggy, in the midst of a pain, he became very worried. "Gabe? What's going on?"

"Inspector Avery, Mrs. Thornton isn't feeling well. She started experiencing pains. Cassandra dismissed school and we are taking her to Dr. Matthews."

"I am coming with you. Jack would want me close by."

Elizabeth, breathing a little easier after the pain, looked at Bill and gave him a weak smile. "Thank you, Bill."

Abigail was on the porch of the café talking to Cat Montgomery when the buggy went by. Gabe didn't see Abigail or hear her call after him, but Bill did. "Elizabeth is experiencing pains, Abigail." Both women gasped. "I am going to wait at the doctor's for word on her condition. I have to look out for her, for Jack."

"I am coming with you." Abigail said. She turned to Cat. "Could you close the café for me? I won't be serving today."

"Of course, Abigail. Let Elizabeth know I am praying for her and the baby."

"I will." Abigail stepped off the porch and followed Bill to the doctor's office.

When Gabe pulled the buggy to a stop, he jumped out and helped Elizabeth as Cassandra went to tell Dr. Matthews what was going on. He came out to help get Elizabeth into his office. Gabe and Cassandra went to sit in the waiting. Bill and Abigail came in just as they sat down.

In the exam room, Dr. Matthews began getting some of his instruments ready. "Elizabeth, tell me exactly everything that has happened up to this point. Don't leave anything out, no matter how small it is. It could lead to a big clue as to what is happening and may make it easier for me to get a treatment plan set."

"Ok." Elizabeth paused as she felt another pain. When it passed, she looked at Dr. Matthews. "I woke up this morning feeling nauseated. I was surprised because I haven't had any morning sickness since December. I was exhausted too, even though I went to bed early last night and slept right through the night. I remember thinking it was strange that I felt that tired. I ate some toast and my stomach started feeling better, so I got ready for school. As the day progressed, I started to feel worse again." She paused again as another pain took hold. "I started to feel like I couldn't keep my eyes open and then I felt the first pain. I thought maybe I was just coming down with something, but decided I needed to sit for a while and monitor the pains, so I assigned some quiet work for the children. The pains kept coming, more frequently. When they got to about five minutes apart, I decided to dismiss school and come see you."

"I am glad you did. I am afraid you may be experiencing pre-term labor. I am going to examine you now to see what is going on."

She nodded, tears filling her eyes. She watched carefully as Dr. Matthews brought his stethoscope to her belly. He listened quite intently for several minutes. Elizabeth started to get extremely worried. "Dr. Matthews? Please! Tell me what's going on!"

Dr. Matthews turned to look into her eyes. "Elizabeth, you need to remain calm. The reason I took so long listening to the baby's heartbeat was because I detected two heartbeats." He cautiously smiled. He had an idea as to what might be causing her pains.

Elizabeth felt shock run through her body. "Two heartbeats? Twins?"

"Yes, Elizabeth, twins! I distinctly heard two strong heartbeats. That's the good news. Also, I have noticed that it has been about fifteen minutes since your last pain. That's a good sign too."

Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, the pains are not as frequent now. What do you think is wrong?"

"I think your body was telling you it's time to get a lot more rest. Be off your feet more. How long are you on your feet during an average school day? Four to five hours?"

"Yes, sometimes less, sometimes more, depending on the lessons."

"I see. That's a lot for a pregnant woman and especially since you are having twins. As you know, the baby takes a lot of energy from the mother-to-be. When its multiple babies, it's even more energy. Your body was giving you signs it's time to slow down."

"I see. I have been experiencing more exhaustion lately. I attributed it to Jack being away. I don't always sleep well when he isn't home."

"Of course, that makes sense. Now, I would like to discuss a treatment plan for you."

"I can guess the first thing is for me to stop teaching. I can definitely do that. I want healthy babies."

Dr. Matthews smiled. "Yes, Elizabeth. That was going to be the first thing I was going to say. You need to be off your feet as much as possible. I don't believe you need to be on permanent bed rest but you need to be mindful of how much time you are walking around. You seem to be a bit dehydrated, which could also be the cause of your pains. I would like you to drink more water. As much as you can take. I know it's a lot to ask when you will have babies sitting on and kicking your bladder but it's for their health as well as yours."

"I understand."

"Now I know Jack is away right now. Do you know when he will be back?"

Elizabeth looked sad as she went to answer him. "No. I got a letter from him the other day saying the case was taking longer than he thought."

"I see. Is it possible to get word to him? I know the Mounties can be tough about this kind of thing but I really think he should come home to you. It would help with your recuperating."

"I hate to ask him to come home but if you think its best, I can get Bill to help me get word to Jack."

"I do. With twins, there is a good chance you may have them early."

"I see."

"In the meantime, I would like someone to stay with you at all times. I don't want you to have to cook meals or do anything strenuous for the remainder of the pregnancy."

"I understand. I don't want to do anything that would harm the babies, or myself for that matter. Do you think it would be ok for me to walk the stairs in the café? As long as I promise to stay up there most of the time? Abigail would let me stay with her and I know she will take good care of me."

"I don't see that as a problem, Elizabeth. You understand there are going to be some limits to what you can do and you are willing to do whatever it takes. Rest for a few days completely upstairs. If you are feeling better after that, I think it would be fine to have someone help you downstairs for a while. That way you don't get cabin fever."

"Thank you, Dr. Matthews. For everything. I haven't felt a pain since right after I got here."

"That's good. I am going to let Cassandra and Gabe know what's going on with you. I am sure one of them will go get Abigail for you."

"She's already here. She saw us coming into town and Bill stopped to tell her what was happening."

"That's good. I will send her in.:

"If Bill is out there, ask him to come in too." Dr. Matthews nodded then opened the door.

Everyone in the waiting room stood up when Dr. Matthews entered, closing the door behind him. "Elizabeth is doing much better. The pains have stopped." Abigail and Cassandra both let out sighs of relief. "Abigail, Bill, Elizabeth would like to see you both. Gabe and Cassandra, hang around for a little bit. I think Mrs. Thornton wants to talk to you both."

"We will." Gabe replied.

Abigail moved towards the exam room door and opened it. She rushed towards the exam table and gave Elizabeth a hug. "I am so glad you are no longer having pains. Does Dr. Matthews know what happened?"

"I am beyond relief that the pains are gone. Yes, Dr. Matthews knows what is happening." She paused for a moment, as she was still feeling some shock over what had been discovered. "I am having twins!"

Abigail looked flabbergasted. Bill just stood there, not knowing what to say. "What? Twins?" Abigail asked. Elizabeth excitedly nodded her head yes. Abigail gave her another hug. "I am so happy for you."

"So am I, Elizabeth." Bill said. He grinned. "I can't wait to see Jack's expression when he finds out."

"That's part of the reason I wanted you in here with Abigail. Dr. Matthews thinks the reason I had the pains is because the babies are taking a lot out of me. He said what happened was my body's way of telling me I need to slow down."

"That makes sense. I remember how tired I would get when I was pregnant with Peter. I can only imagine what you must be feeling, carrying two babies. Does Dr. Matthews want to you to stop teaching?"

"Yes. I am more than willing to do it. I want to have healthy babies closer to their due date. Anyway, he asked when Jack was going to return and I don't know. He thinks I should get word to Jack somehow and ask him to come home. He wants someone to be with me, especially since I could end up having the babies early. Bill, I am not sure how I would go about that. I hate asking Jack to come home but I understand why Dr. Matthews thinks it's a good idea."

"It is." Bill agreed. "If I know Jack as well as I think I do, he would want to come home. I will help you get a telegram together and I will get it sent off to him."

"Thank you, Bill."

"Elizabeth, what does Dr. Matthews think you should do until Jack comes home? We don't know how long that could be and I don't think you should be by yourself in your home. You could come stay with me, as long as it's not a problem for you to be walking up the stairs."

Elizabeth smiled. "I knew you would ask me to stay with you. Dr. Matthews said it's ok for me to walk up the stairs today and rest for a few days upstairs. If I am feeling better, I can then venture downstairs for part of the day."

"Perfect! I closed the café for the rest of the day. Let's get you settled in your room and maybe Cassandra can stay with you while I go to your home and get some things for you."

"That would be great." Elizabeth agreed.

Just then, Dr. Matthews returned to the exam room. "How are you feeling now, Elizabeth? Anymore pains?"

"No. I am still very tired but other than that I feel great. Abigail asked me to stay with her until Jack returns. I didn't have to ask her."

Dr. Matthews smiled. "Good. That makes me feel better about you. I will check on you daily. I would like for you to stay here for a little while longer, just make sure everything is getting better. Maybe another hour at the most."

"That's fine. Bill and I can work on a telegram to Jack and Abigail can head to my place to get some of my personal things." She looked towards Abigail, who nodded her head.

"I will bring everything I can think of. If I forget anything I can always go back or get it from the mercantile."

"Thank you, Abigail! You are the best friend I have ever had. I really appreciate this."

Once Abigail and Dr. Matthews left, Elizabeth and Bill worked on the telegram:

 _ **Jack,**_

 _ **Hate to be sending this to you, but you need to know.**_

 _ **Elizabeth experienced a complication with the pregnancy.**_

 _ **Doctor wants her to stop teaching and to go on bed rest.**_

 _ **He also suggested you come home.**_

 _ **Elizabeth is staying with Abigail until you return**_

 _ **She will explain once you arrive.**_

 _ **Wire back with your plans**_

 _ **Bill.**_

Abigail returned just as the hour was up. She and Bill helped Elizabeth up to her old room above the café, then Bill left to send the telegram, promising to come see her when he got a response. Abigail helped Elizabeth get changed and into bed, promising to come back with some soup in a little while. Elizabeth fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

The next day, in a town about three days ride from Hope Valley, Jack was feeling frustrated. He had been there over a month and he was not any closer to solving the case than he was the first day he arrived. All he wanted to do was throw in the towel and head back to Hope Valley and to his wife. The night before he had woken up from a nightmare. Something had been wrong with Elizabeth and the baby. He tried to shake it off as just a bad dream, but the feeling just wouldn't leave him alone.

After spending half the night thinking about his situation, he decided to send a telegram to headquarters, telling them the case was going nowhere and that he wanted to return home. He opened the door of his living quarters to find a young boy about to knock on the door. "What can I do for you, David?" He asked.

"Mountie Jack, this telegram just arrived for you." He handed the envelope to Jack.

"Thank you." He said as the boy ran off. Jack closed the door and went to sit down at the table. He had a bad feeling about this telegram. He saw the telegram was from Bill. His heart started to beat faster as he opened the telegram and then read it. He lowered his head to the table after he read it, crying. His dream was coming true and he wasn't there to be with Elizabeth. He felt so guilty for taking this assignment. For the first time since he became a Mountie, he hated his job. It had taken him away from his family just when they needed him most.

Jack stood up, wiped the tears from his eyes and quickly packed his things. He was on his horse and on the way back to Hope Valley without a second thought about his job or sending a telegram back to Bill. All he wanted to do was to get home as soon as he could

Jack rode almost constantly so he could get home faster, only stopping to give his horse a rest, some food and water. He needed to be doing something to keep his mind off of what was going on with Elizabeth and the baby. He wished the telegram had said what was wrong. The not knowing was driving him crazy. When he was letting the horse rest, he would pace the ground, worrying and imagining the worst.

He finally reached Hope Valley later in the early evening, the second day after he left. He practically jumped off his horse before bringing him to a stop and ran through the back door of the café, into the kitchen. Abigail turned when she heard the door open and smiled.

"Jack, you're home. Elizabeth will be so happy! She is upstairs in her old room."

Jack started to run towards the stairs, but stopped to turn back to Abigail. "Thank you for taking care of her." He then proceeding up the stairs. The door to her room was open and he ran right in. He found his wife lying in bed reading. She looked up when she heard him come in.

"Jack!" A smile lit up her face. "I am so happy you are home." She shifted slightly on the bed to allow room for him to sit.

He quickly walked over and sat down next to her, picking up her hand and kissing. "Elizabeth!" He took her gently into his arms. All the questions that had plagued him on the way home seemed to escape his mind as he held her. After a few minutes, he pulled away, with tears in his eyes. Elizabeth reached up and wiped them away. "What happened, Sweetheart?"

Elizabeth put her book aside, then took his hand in hers. "The other day I woke up not feeling well. I was nauseous and very tired, even though I had a great night's sleep. I had something to eat and was feeling well enough to go to work, but once I was there, I started feeling bad again." She paused, wanting to delay telling him about the contractions. She knew he was going be so scared but he had to be told. "I started having pains." She whispered.

"What? Like labor pains?" As predicted, he looked terrified. He then realized that the pains must have stopped because she was most definitely still pregnant. He calmed down. "What did you do next?"

"I gave the children an assignment to work on quietly and I sat down at my desk, where I monitored the pains. They started coming every five minutes, so I had Cassandra dismiss school for me and she and Gabe brought me into town to see Dr. Matthews. Bill saw us on our way into town and so did Abigail, so they waited at the office while I was examined." She smiled again, thinking about when Dr. Matthews told her about the twins.

Jack noticed her smile and for the first time since he received the telegram, he felt a weight lift off of him. "What are you smiling about?" He asked, wondering what she would say next that would make her so happy.

"Oh, Jack! It's wonderful! Dr. Matthews said he heard two strong heartbeats. Jack, My Love! We are having twins!" She carefully watched Jack's face as the news sunk in.

Jack couldn't believe what he just heard. He had been thinking the worst the whole ride back and now she said they were having twins? "Twins? Really? Two babies?"

Elizabeth laughed. "That's what they usually call two babies at once. What do you think?"

Jack reached over to her and pulled her into a huge hug. "Sweetheart, I am so happy and blessed." He buried his face in her hair, breathing in the flower sent of the shampoo she used. "But, wait. Why didn't you tell me that in the telegram? I was so worried and scared."

Elizabeth frowned. "I am sorry about that. I knew you would worry when you got the telegram but I wanted to see your face when I told you. I was so conflicted over it. Maybe I should have just told in the telegram." She looked away from him, and felt tears come to her eyes.

Jack gently moved her face back so he could look at her. He wiped the tears away. "Elizabeth, don't cry. It can't be good for you to be upset." She nodded. "You were right not to say anything in the telegram. It was better hearing it straight from your lips." He leaned in to kiss her. As he did, he put his hand on her belly. He felt a nice, strong kick, which made him pull away from Elizabeth and grin at her. He leaned down and put both hands on her belly. "Hello, kids. Daddy is home and he is not leaving again." He felt more kicking.

Elizabeth felt tears fall down her checks, but this time they were happy tears. "Oh, Jack! That's so sweet!"

He grinned at her. "So what happened after Dr. Matthews heard the heartbeats?"

"By that time, the pains were decreasing, thank God." Jack nodded in agreement. "Dr. Matthews concluded that the pains, exhaustion and nausea were my body's way of saying I need to slow down. He said that carrying twins makes a woman much more exhausted than a woman who is only pregnant with one baby. He wanted me to stop teaching for the remainder of the pregnancy and try to stay off my feet as much as possible. He also said I was dehydrated which could have also caused the pains."

"Thank goodness he has a plan. I am glad you sent word to me. There is no place I would rather be than here with you right now."

"I have to admit I was nervous about asking you to come home. I wasn't sure what having you home now would do to your career."

"Elizabeth, don't worry about that. I will handle the Mounties."

"Ok." She kissed him. "I am glad you are home. As much as I love having Abigail taking care of me, I really want to be back in our home with you. Although I think we should stay here tonight. It's a little late to be heading home. There is room for you in this bed."

"I agree. It is late to be going home. I am exhausted too. I rode pretty much non-stop to get home to you. Sleeping with you here sounds really good to me." Just then his stomach rumbled. They both laughed. "And get myself some dinner. Have you eaten yet?"

"No. Abigail brings me dinner after the café closes and she eats up here with me. She will have a meal for you too."

Sure enough, just as Elizabeth said the words, Abigail appeared in the doorway with a tray with two plates. "I thought you might be hungry, Jack." Jack got up so Abigail could put the tray down on the bed.

"Thank you, Abigail."

"Are you planning on going home tonight?" Abigail asked.

"No." Elizabeth replied. "We both feel it's too late and Jack is tired."

"I was thinking the same thing." She turned to walk out of the room. "Enjoy dinner and I will have a nice breakfast for you in the morning." She closed the door behind her.

Jack sat down on the bed as he and Elizabeth ate dinner. They talked about how scared they both were over the pre-term labor and how glad they were to be back together. Jack left the room briefly to get his bag and to take care of his horse, then returned to the room. After he changed, he climbed into bed with Elizabeth and held her close.

"You are so beautiful, Elizabeth. You are even more beautiful than the day we met."

Elizabeth blushed. "Thank you, Jack." She yawned. "I'm sorry. I get tired so easily."

"Then you should sleep. Listen to your body. I will be here all night holding you."

"I missed this." She whispered as she settled into his embrace.

"Me too." Jack replied, then realized she was fast asleep. He closed his eyes, imagining holding two babies in his arms. He fell asleep with a smile on his face.

 _ **The juices were really flowing tonight. I decided I like the idea of our favorite couple having twins so much, I wanted to use it for this story as well. For followers of The Detective and The Nurse, I should have an update this weekend.**_


	25. More Names and Homecomings

A few hours later, Elizabeth woke up because the twins felt like they were dancing on her bladder. They seemed to like being awake at night and resting during the day, when it should be the opposite. She would have to get Jack to sing to them when they were at rest so that she could get sleep at night. In the meantime, she had to figure out how to get out of bed to go to the washroom without waking Jack. Her poor husband needed rest after what he went through riding back to her. Unfortunately she didn't succeed, as she let out a groan trying to get up, which woke Jack up.

"Elizabeth?" He sat up, looking groggy. "What's the matter? Are you ok?"

"I'm fine except your children are using my bladder as a dance floor and now I need to use the washroom."

In the moonlight, Jack could see her smirking. "My children? Oh, I get it. They are my children when they are bad but your children when they are good." They looked at each other and laughed. Jack then got up and helped her out of bed. He started to follow her out the room but she stopped him.

"I'm fine Jack. You don't need to come with me." She smiled at him, letting him know she was grateful he wanted to help.

After he heard the door close, he sat back down on the bed. He started thinking about the events that had transpired over the last couple of days. He still couldn't believe they were having twins. He wondered if they would have two sons, two daughters or one of each. Then he realized they needed to think of more names. Since they were using their own first names as middle names, he thought they should use family names. Charlotte would make a great middle name for a second girl. He wasn't sure of a first name. Possibly Grace if they were using Charlotte. He would love using Thomas as a middle name too.

Elizabeth returned to the room to find Jack sitting on the bed, lost in thought. She tried softly calling his name but he didn't seem to hear her. She sat down next to him and put a hand on his shoulder, causing him to jump. She giggled at his reaction.

"Oh, Sweetheart. You scared me."

"You were lost in thought about something." She replied.

"Yes I was. I was thinking about the twins and I realized we need to pick out more names. I was thinking about a few while I waited for you."

"Really? That's sweet. Are you up to talking about it for a while? They twins are moving around so much, I won't be able to sleep for a while. Maybe hearing your voice will calm them down a bit."

"I can stay up for a while. It's not like we have to get up with the sun in the morning."

"Exactly. Besides the last couple of days I have been sleeping late, so Abigail would probably be shocked if we were up with the sun like she is."

"Let's get you back into bed, Sweetheart. Then we can snuggle together and talk about names."

As Elizabeth went to lie down as best she could, she replied. "I have been thinking about using family names, Jack. I am not sure on boy's names but I have a couple of girl's names I like." Even though it was dark, the moon light lit the room enough for Elizabeth to see a big grin form on Jack's face. "What are you smiling about, My Love?"

"I was thinking the same thing about using family names. I was thinking about Charlotte and Thomas as possible middle names." He gently pulled Elizabeth into one arm and placed his free hand on her belly. Sure enough, he felt the kicking Elizabeth was talking about. He was going to have to think of a way to help get the babies to sleep at night when Elizabeth went to bed. She needed rest more than anything right now.

"I was thinking about Charlotte too. One of my grandmothers was named Charlotte and the other was named Erin. I was thinking Erin Charlotte Thornton would be a great name."

"Erin Charlotte Thornton." Jack said the name out loud. "That's beautiful. I love it." He placed a gentle kiss on Elizabeth's forehead. "So Catherine Elizabeth and Erin Charlotte for girls."

"Yes." Then she giggled. "I just realized that if we have two daughters there first and middle names have the same initials, only reversed."

Jack laughed as he thought about it. "You are right. That's ok though"

"Yes it is. Since we are using my grandmother's names for girls it worked out that Charlotte is also your mother's names, how about boys' names from your family?"

"Well, I only knew one grandfather, my paternal grandfather. His name was Daniel Thomas Thornton." As the name rolled off his tongue, he realized he loved the sound of that name for a boy. "Daniel Thomas. What do you think of that name, Sweetheart?"

Elizabeth pushed herself up in bed and looked at Jack, with tears in her eyes. "Jack, I love it! It's perfect!" She leaned over to kiss him. When they pulled apart, Jack helped pulled her back down on his check.

"That was as easy as picking the other names. So, Catherine Elizabeth and Erin Charlotte for girls and Christopher Jarrick and Daniel Thomas for boys."

"Yes, they are beautiful names." She yawned just then. "Jack, I think I am ready to go back to sleep. The babies aren't moving as much anymore."

"I'm glad. You need your rest now more than ever." Elizabeth rolled off his chest to go lie down on her pillow. When she was settled, he propped himself on his elbow and gave her a long, sweet kiss goodnight. "Sleep well, My Beautiful Sweetheart!"

"Sleep well, My Handsome Mountie!" She whispered as she closed her eyes. Within minutes, she was fast asleep, with Jack not far behind.

When Jack woke up next, the room was full of sun light. He picked up his pocket watch from the table next to the bed and saw that it was 8am. He turned back to look at his sleeping wife. She looked so beautiful. She was glowing. He remained in bed, just watching the love of his life and the mother of his children sleep peacefully. As he was staring at her angel face, he got an idea. He decided he wanted to go to the Mercantile and get some things to make their house pretty for her when they returned later that day. He also wanted to get some food. He figured there wasn't much in the house. He wanted to cook dinner for her that night.

He quietly slipped out of bed and put his clothes on. He sat down at the desk and wrote her a note, in case she woke up while he was gone. He placed it on his pillow, gave her a quick kiss on the cheek then went downstairs. Abigail was at the stove cooking a breakfast order when Jack came down the stairs. "Good Morning, Abigail." He greeted.

"Hello Jack. How did you sleep? I figured you might sleep later with Elizabeth, especially after you were awake for a while talking in the middle of the night."

Jack felt his face flush. "I'm sorry. Did we wake you?"

"Jack, its fine. I have been sleeping with one ear to awake in case Elizabeth needed me. I guess my body had gotten used to it in the short time that we were waiting for you to return. Once I remembered you were here, I went back to sleep. And I didn't hear what you were talking about."

"We were discussing baby names. I am sure Elizabeth will want to fill you in at some point." He accepted a cup of coffee from Abigail. "The reason I am up is because I thought I would go to our house and fix it up for Elizabeth. Open it up for some air and put some flowers in the bedroom. Also pick up some food to make for a special dinner tonight."

"She would love that, Jack. I noticed Mr. Yost has some new bubble bath in. Maybe you could get some for her and help her take a bath later. She hasn't said anything to me but I can tell she is starting to feel some pregnancy aches and pains. A nice soak in the tub would do wonders for her."

"That's a great idea. Thanks, Abigail." He started for the door to get his plan into motion.

"Wait, Jack. Don't you want some breakfast first?"

He turned back around and blushed. "Yes I do. I forgot about eating because I was so excited about my plans."

"I can see that. Sit down for a little while. Knowing Elizabeth, she won't be awake for at least an hour, possibly longer. You can sit for a while and then get going."

"I will. Thank you." As soon as he finished eating eggs, bacon and some of Abigail's delicious biscuits, he was out the door, eager to get on with his plans.

Elizabeth woke up a couple of hours later. She stretched her arms and then reached over towards Jack. An arm meet empty space. She carefully pushed herself up and spotted a note on his pillow. She picked it up to read:

 _ **Sweetheart,**_

 _ **I woke up early and decided to go get some supplies and other things for when we return home today.**_

 _ **I wanted to let you sleep some more.**_

 _ **You looked so beautiful sleeping peacefully.**_

 _ **I should be back shortly and then we can go home.**_

 _ **I love you and our babies so much!**_

 _ **Your Handsome Mountie,**_

 _ **Jack.**_

Elizabeth smiled at the note. She sat in bed for a few minutes, counting her blessings. She had a wonderful husband and soon they would be holding two sweet babies made from the love they felt for each other. She was still day dreaming about her little family when a knock came at the door. "Come in". She said, figuring it was Abigail coming to see if she wanted some breakfast.

"Ahh, good. You're awake. Would you like some breakfast? I have fresh blueberry muffins and biscuits."

Elizabeth felt her mouth water at the sound of the muffins. "I would love a muffin or two but I should have something else with it. Would you please make me some scrambled eggs?"

"Of course! Would you like some tea?"

"Yes, please and a glass of milk."

"You got it." Abigail left the room and went back downstairs. As she started preparing the eggs, Jack returned. "Perfect timing, Jack. Elizabeth just woke up. I am making her breakfast."

"Great. I will wait down here and bring it up when you are done." He looked over at the stove to see what she was making. "I am glad to see she wanted eggs. She stopped eating them when we first found out about the baby."

"That's completely normal. I had an aversion to eggs in those first few months too. It drove my Noah crazy. He liked having eggs for breakfast almost every day but when I got pregnant and the smell made me sick, I forbade them in the house. The town we lived at the time was smaller than Hope Valley and there was no restaurant." She paused, feeling a little nostalgic, then she laughed. "You should have seen his face when I surprised him with an omelet one morning in my second trimester. I think he had finally come to the conclusion he wouldn't be having eggs until after the baby arrived." She wiped a tear away from her eyes, then grabbed a tray. "How about you bring up some of her breakfast? I made blueberry muffins this morning and she requested that with her breakfast. You can also bring her the drinks she requested. I will bring her eggs up when they are done."

"Ok. Did she want tea?"

"Yes and she also asked for a glass of milk. She has been drinking a lot of milk lately, which is good for her and the babies."

Jack nodded and put together the tray. He carefully walked upstairs so he wouldn't spill anything. When he walked in the room, he smiled when she saw Elizabeth sitting up with her back against the headboard, writing in her journal. "Good morning, Sweetheart! I have some of your breakfast."

Elizabeth looked up and smiled when she saw her handsome husband. "Jack, I am so glad you're back." She put her journal away as Jack placed the tray in front of her." I missed you. Did you get everything settled in the house?" She picked up her glass of milk and brought it to her lips.

"Yes, I did. As soon as you're finished eating, we can pack up your things and head for home. I know you are anxious to be back in our bed."

Elizabeth picked up a muffin and took a bite. When she had swallowed, she replied to her husband. "I am, Jack. I am so grateful that Abigail let me stay here, but I would rather be in our home. Thank you for getting everything settled while I was still asleep."

"I was torn about it. You looked so peaceful, sleeping with one hand on your belly. You looked so beautiful, like an angel. I was so tempted to go back to sleep with you, with my hand on top of yours. Then I decided it would make more sense to get our house ready."

Elizabeth was about to speak when Abigail returned with her plate of eggs, some bacon and a couple of biscuits. "I wasn't sure if you would want more than the muffin and eggs. Don't worry if you aren't hungry for all of this."

"Thanks, Abigail. You are the best." Abigail smiled and left the happy parents-to-be alone.

"If you can't eat all that, Sweetheart, I will. I think I am making up for not eating on the ride back here."

"Ok. I may not. My appetite hasn't been that great lately. I mean, I am not skipping meals or anything but I can usually only eat a small portion of food at each meal time. I think my stomach must be changing size to accommodate my growing abdomen." She laughed.

Jack joined in. "As long as you are eating, that's all that matters." He kissed her hand.

"I love you, Jack Thornton." Elizabeth put her fork down and pushed the tray aside for a moment to kiss him.

"I love you too." Jack replied after they parted. Then he put his hand on her belly. "I love you two as well." He moved his hand and moved the tray back in front of Elizabeth so she could continue eating.

Soon, Jack was helping Elizabeth get dressed and packing up her things. Fortunately, Abigail didn't pack that much, knowing Jack would be home. "I rented a buggy to take you home, Sweetheart. That's too far for you to walk."

"Thank you, Jack." She kissed him, then started to walk out the door of her old room. Jack had already brought her suitcase downstairs, so his hands were free to help her down the stairs. He kept his hands firmly around her and slowly helped her walk. Jack helped her get settled in the buggy then got in himself.

A short time later, they arrived home. "I want to get you settled in bed first, then I will get your suitcase." Jack said as he helped her down from the buggy.

"Thank you, Jack. I am a little tired. I could also use a bath."

Jack smiled. He couldn't wait for her to see what he did for her in their bedroom and bathroom. "Of course. If you don't mind, I would like to join you in the bath. Maybe I can give you a back rub."

Elizabeth sighed. "That would be heavenly."

Jack helped her up the front steps and into their house. He took her hand and led her to their room. When she stepped inside, she gasped. He had placed a bouquet of wild flowers on her nightstand and dresser, candles were set up all around the room waiting to be lit and a new nightgown was laying on her side of the bed.

"Oh, Jack. This room, the nightgown, it's beautiful. Thank you!" She turned to kiss him.

"You're welcome, Sweetheart. You deserve it. I am going to do the best job I can taking care of you are our babies. Anything you need, just tell me." He caressed her cheek, then grabbed her hand. "Come with me to the bathroom." He opened the door, then stepped aside to let her in.

Elizabeth walked through the door and gasped for the second time. The room had more candles and flowers. On the little table by the tub, she saw bottles of bubble bath. She walked over to look at them. One was vanilla scented and the other was apple scented. They both smelled wonderful. She turned towards the sink and spotted a bottle of her favorite perfume sitting there. "Oh, Jack! You are so good to me. This is so beautiful. I love you so much!"

Jack crossed the bathroom in two steps, taking his wife into his arms. "I love you too." They held each other for several minutes. "Would you like to take that bath now?"

"I would yes."

Jack let her go to start the water. "Would you like some bubble bath in the water?"

"Yes, the vanilla scented bubbles."

"You got it. Why do you go get changed and meet me back here? Unless you need my help."

"I will be fine, Jack." She kissed him again then went back to their bedroom. She walked to the bed and picked up the nightgown. It was a long sleeved gown in a cotton so soft it almost felt like satin. The color was a blue a couple of shades light than her eyes and she saw there was a matching robe sitting underneath the gown. She couldn't wait to slip it on. She changed out of her clothes as quickly as she could, slipped on the robe and returned to the bathroom.

Jack had already changed out of his clothes and was waiting for her return. He turned to look at her when he heard the door open. The site that meet his eyes was so beautiful; she took his breath away. "Elizabeth! You are breathtaking!"

She blushed. "Thank you, Jack and thank you for the robe and nightgown. It's so soft. You found it at the mercantile?" He nodded yet. "I didn't realize Mr. Yost was stocking maternity gowns. I have been asking Clara to make me clothes."

Jack laughed. "I was surprised too but Mr. Yost told me that with both you and Rosemary expecting at the same time, he should stock some maternity clothes." Jack replied as he turned the faucet off and held his hand out for Elizabeth. "Let me help you get settled in the tub before I join you."

"All right." She slipped off her robe, then immediately tried to cover her body. She suddenly felt huge, standing there in front of Jack without any clothes on.

Jack noticed her reaction. "What's the matter, Sweetheart? Why are you covering yourself up? You must know I think you are so beautiful?" He reached for her hands to gently pull them away.

"I don't know. I just felt so fat when I took the robe off. I felt as big as a house when you were looking at me. I can't be that beautiful to you right now." She lowered her gaze to the flow.

"Elizabeth. Look at me." She didn't respond. "Elizabeth, look at me." He said more forcefully, taking his hand and gently pulled her face up. "Elizabeth, you are beautiful. You are more beautiful to me than ever. Do you know why?" She shook her head no. "You are blossoming with two new lives. It's amazing to me what your body is doing."

Elizabeth felt tears run down her cheeks. "Jack, that was so beautiful. Thank you."

"It's all true. Now let's get into that bath." He took her hand and helped her get into the tub. She let out a sigh as she sank into the warm bubbles. She felt her muscles start to feel better almost instantly. Then she felt Jack's hands start to massage her back. She moaned in pleasure as he felt him work at the knots in her back. She had the absolute best husband in the world. She was so blessed to have found him and that her children would have the best father.


End file.
